Former school and funeral home are planned for housing

PLANS for the proposed demolition of the former Ardscoil Éanna and Funeral Home on Crumlin Road are given the go ahead as the Part 8 for the plans are approved.

The Part 8 approval was recently given to the Housing and Community Services Department from Dublin City Council for the demolition of the buildings which are located on lands bounded by Crumlin Road, Rafter’s Road and Rafter’s Lane.

It was previously reported in The Echo that Dublin City Council had purchased two plots of land, including for housing and community use in 2018 for €1.18 million.

The two lots purchase included Ardscoil Éanna, established in 1939 by Easter Rising prisoner James J O’Byrne, and Margaret Pearse, sister of Patrick Pearse.

Located near Crumlin Children’s Hospital, the school is the former alma mater of Irish actor Gabriel Byrne. The school closed on 3rd June 2016 and all of the buildings now lie unoccupied.

According to the report of the Chief Executive of Dublin City Council in February detailing the intended works, it is proposed to demolish all buildings with the exception of the original school dwelling, which will remain due to a preservation order as well as the boundary walls.

Most of the paved surface of the site will be removed, and the site grassed pending redevelopment and a small extension at the back of the old school dwelling is to be removed and the building will be secured.

The project is being funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the redevelopment of the site will be subject of a separate planning application and consultation process and the library development will also be a separate development.

According to the planning assessment, the buildings set to be demolished are not considered to be of “architectural merit” and the planning authority had no objection to their demolition, which will allow for the redevelopment and renewal of the site for housing and mixed retail.