Mr. Oliver Cussen:

I am very pleased to address the Chairman and members of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection as chairperson designate of the Grangegorman Development Agency. Tá an-áthas orm bheith libh agus deis agam gnó na Gníomhaireachta a phlé idir an obair atá curtha i gcrích go dtí seo agus an clár oibre atá amach romhainn.

The agency is charged with developing the grounds of the former St. Brendan’s Hospital, a 73-acre site, at Grangegorman in Dublin’s north inner city in order to create a major education, health and public resource. Therefore, the key stakeholders are the Health Service Executive, HSE, Dublin Institute of Technology, DIT, and the local community. The significance of this development is reflected in its inclusion as a strategic objective in the current and previous development plans for Dublin City, its inclusion in the National Development Plan as a key objective for higher education, its inclusion in Transport 21 as a key enabler to support the construction of Luas cross-city project and its inclusion as a flagship project in the national stimulus programme announced by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in July 2012.

On completion, the project will contribute to educational, social and economic development locally and nationally. It will yield significant operational efficiencies for organisations such as DIT and, in the process of construction, create significant employment opportunities. It will also be a major driver for urban regeneration in Dublin’s north inner city.

It is perhaps worth noting the milestones passed to date and upcoming milestones. In May 2013, patients and staff from St. Brendan’s Hospital relocated to a new state-of-the-art replacement building, the Phoenix Care Centre. There is already feedback that this facility, with its modern design and layout, is having a positive effect on patients and other users. Recently, the first phase of the site infrastructure and public realm SIPR was completed. This consists of the laying of all critical utility services, major earthworks and development of the public realm, including paths, roads, green areas, lighting, seating and bike parking. A new surface water pipe connection to Smithfield has also been provided, as required by Dublin City Council. As of September 2015, all of the outdoor sports facilities are complete and the all-weather pitch, tennis courts and informal play area are all in use, while the GAA and soccer grass pitches will be ready for use next season. A new playground and jogging and walking track have also recently opened, and I am told they are proving very popular with the local community. The first 1,000 DIT students came to Grangegorman in September 2014. They are located in five of the protected structures around the site, which were refurbished to the highest standards, and some now form An Croí, the cultural heart of the site. The first new DIT building is nearing completion. The new greenway hub will create specialist research facilities for the environmental sustainability and health institute, ESHI, as well as incubation space for new companies. It is due to be handed over to DIT shortly. A new primary care centre is also being constructed for the HSE. This facility will deliver a range of health services including general practitioner services, occupational therapy, community nursing and counselling. It is due for completion in mid-2016 and will provide a significant new health service for the community around Grangegorman.

The next phase of the delivery of DIT services is through the construction of two major quads, the central and east quads. The central quad will be home to ten schools from the College of Sciences and Health, the College of Engineering and Built Environment and the College of Arts and Tourism. The east quad will accommodate the majority of academic activities and facilities required for the College of Creative and Cultural Industries. Both buildings were granted planning permission in July 2015. These buildings will bring 10,000 students, over half of DIT's student population, to Grangegorman. Other projects include the new primary school, which is at early design stage, a community nursing unit, which is at feasibility study stage, the academic hub, including a co-located DIT and public library, which is at the very early stages, and student accommodation, which is at early design stage. I have dealt with the quality of the planning and design in some detail in my submission and may move on from those instead of citing them in detail on this occasion. I am happy to come back to them if anybody wishes to ask me any questions.

The site is being developed on principles of sustainability, as would be expected and required in the world we live in now. Protected structures dating back to the late nineteenth and early twentieth century are being brought back into use alongside new buildings.

A very important initiative has been the implementation of the Grangegorman local employment charter, which many committee members will be familiar with. The charter aims for 20% of new construction jobs to be filled by local people. At the height of construction there were 350 construction workers on site, 50 of whom were from the local area. Employment has been created and more will be created in areas such as direct labour in construction, as well as in indirect supporting professions such as architecture, engineering, and conservation. There is also a multiplier effect in areas such as concrete manufacturing and providers of equipment, fixtures and fittings. The employment charter was developed under the guidance of the labour and learning forum, LLF, which is chaired by former Secretary General of the Department and Education and Skills, Ms Brigid McManus. Other areas of focus for the group include local education opportunities and exploring opportunities for co-operation and synergies between the project and local businesses.

The LLF, in collaboration with DIT and local community groups, has been awarded a grant of just over €940,000 from the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and Atlantic Philanthropies. This area-based childhood, ABC, programme will fund an exciting series of activities from 2015 to 2017 to help improve outcomes for children up to six years of age and families living in the Grangegorman area.

Another significant but less tangible area is the importance of public art. A positive outcome of the project is the recent launch of “...the lives we live”, the Grangegorman public art programme, which has raised the profile of the project significantly. The programme of public art will be rolled out over the coming years and will encourage relationship building between the art community and the local community. It has already raised the profile of the project.

Another important dimension of the way the project has worked is a positive element which I have inherited. Throughout the life of the Grangegorman project communication has been a central feature. There are two formal stakeholder groups, the consultative group and the community liaison committee. The consultative group is made up of all stakeholders on the project and meets once a quarter. The community liaison committee is made up of all community representatives who are involved with the project and has a more local focus. It also includes representatives from the HSE, DIT, local gardaí and the city council. It meets once a month to discuss any current issues.

The newly appointed board, all of whom, bar one, I have met, has a wide range of competencies and a deep knowledge of key stakeholders. As chairperson I will seek to facilitate the board to the greatest extent possible to deploy this expertise and experience to progress the project over the next three years. The agency has a highly qualified and motivated staff. An important role for the chairperson and the board will be to keep the strategy under review, as appropriate; maintain the direction of the project; support the executive in implementing the strategy and ensure accountability for the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the agency in getting this important work advanced as quickly as possible.

I approach the job with humility and an openness to learn from the experience and expertise of all those involved in the project to date. This is combined with a firm purpose to maintain the momentum of the project, building on the robust physical and strategic planning framework in place, the strong relationships with key stakeholders and the expertise and experience at board and executive level. As chairperson I will call on my experience of the education sector during my time as an assistant secretary in the Department of Education and Skills, coupled with subsequent experience in a number of senior positions in the Dublin Airport Authority during a time of major infrastructural transformation, and service on boards in Ireland and overseas.

This is a wonderful project that will provide 73 acres of integrated public facilities, a major educational, health and community resource that will serve Ireland well into this century and beyond. It is now at a critical juncture, with a lot of major construction yet to commence. It is important that as we approach the ten year anniversary of the agency, the vision set out at the beginning continues to be realised. It would be a key goal for me as chairperson to ensure this vision is progressed significantly over the next three years.