Costs of refurbishment of library have increased to over €2.1 million

Revised costs for a refurbishment of the Clondalkin Library have reached in excess of €2.1 million, a large increase compared to the initial estimate of €981,682.

Plans for the library initially involved a building-wide accessibility upgrade but changes were made following the identification of a critical issue.

In a scoping report that was carried out in March 2026, it was discovered that existing mechanical and electrical systems were still in use beyond the end of their intended life span.

These systems include heating systems and pipework as well as electrical infrastructure, ventilation and environmental systems.

A full replacement of mechanical and electrical supply has been deemed “unavoidable”.

Once construction commences, it will be the first significant upgrade to the building since 1971 and first intervention in the building’s history to address accessibility shortcomings.

Acting County Librarian, Síle Coleman, described how the full refurbishment will ensure that future generations will get to use this library,

“We see this as a once in a generation project and not an incremental series of short-term fixes.”

Following professional recommendations, it was discovered that a reduced or phased approach, such as insertion of the stairs and lift, will increase costs over time and compromise the building.

“Insertion of a lift and stairs requires reconfiguration of the plant room, including removal of the boiler which would trigger significant knock-on impacts on all building services as it would involve trying to match a new system with old, end of life infrastructure.”

It was also noted that the building is a protected structure and repeated interventions under reduced or phased approaches would result in repeated disturbance to the historic building fabric.

Instead, it was advised that a full refurbishment would deliver a safe, accessible-compliant building with modern efficient infrastructure and a future-proof library for the community.

“A single carefully managed refurbishment enables conservation lead design and greater certainty around the quality and cost of long-term protection of the building.”

A full refurbishment will include the construction of new glazed entrance in the lobby area, as well as upgrades to internal finishes including floor coverings, joinery, shelves and paint work.

Conservation and repair work to existing windows and fabric with replacement where necessary has also been noted.

The current timeline estimates that construction will begin on the library in April 2027 and will be substantially completed by October 2027.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme