Publication
National Centre - Current status, plans and consultation
From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
Published on
Last updated on
High-level proposals for the National Centre for Research and Remembrance were approved by Government in March 2022.
In July 2022, Dublin City Council voted to transfer the identified site at Sean McDermott Street to the OPW. Since then, the OPW has been carrying out maintenance works on the site to make the remaining buildings safe to access and to facilitate future works.
In July 2023 Government approved the masterplan for the National Centre campus and a preliminary business case for the main National Centre buildings.
Government also approved, in principle, proposals for social housing, educational facilities, and family and parenting support facilities on the National Centre campus.
After extensive work by the project Steering Group in the intervening period, in March 2024 Government approved further key project documents including the preliminary business case for the full National Centre Campus.
You can find out more about each of these approvals under the relevant headings below.
Following these approvals, the National Centre Steering Group – members and work streams will continue to work on timelines for the development of the Centre, as well as preparations for the anticipated submission of a planning permission application for the National Centre campus in Q2 2024.
The masterplan sets out the floorplans of the campus facilities, including:
You can view the floorplans at this link Please note that these may be subject to change.
The preliminary business case for the main National Centre building was approved by Government in July 2023 and the comprehensive preliminary business case for the full National Centre campus was approved by Government in March 2024. The business case outlines the strategic and social value of the project, the financial and economic costs associated with the project, and next steps associated with the development and operation of the National Centre campus.
In July 2023, Government gave approval in principle to proposals for social housing, educational facilities and family and parenting support facilities, as part of the National Centre campus.
In March 2024, Government approved the finalised high-level proposals for the overall National Centre campus to include:
• social housing, configured to universal design standards and appropriate to the needs of older persons and persons with disabilities within the North East Inner City;
• the development of a lifelong learning hub for the provision of further and higher education; and
• facilities for the provision of community-based family and parenting supports.
The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) continues to work on detailed proposals for bespoke facilities which would be dedicated to family and parenting services supporting good outcomes for children and their families.
Meanwhile, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS) continues to work to develop detailed proposals for the delivery of further and higher education. This will take the form of an ‘Access Hub’ provided through an innovative collaboration between CDETB and Technological University Dublin.
The Access Hub will provide flexible and accessible learning opportunities across the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ), including the integration of a NFQ level 7/8 degree course to be delivered on the site.
These elements will contribute to the social and economic development of Dublin’s North East Inner City.
It is crucial that this project is informed by all relevant stakeholders as part of the process.
As such, an initial, open consultation ran from 25 July to 15 September 2023, with a view to informing work on elements of the National Centre project, specifically:
• the museum and exhibition space;
• the research centre and repository of records related to institutional trauma in the 20th century; and
• the garden space for reflection and remembrance.
The consultation received almost 220 responses, which are in the final stages of analysis. A report on the responses will be published shortly and will inform the ongoing work of the National Centre.
Further consultations and engagement, particularly with survivors and former residents, on specific elements of the Centre will take place in due course, with related updates posted on this page. These consultations will cover things like the museum interpretation experience and the space for reflection, as well as areas of the campus which are of interest to the local community, such as the educational, family and parenting supports.
If you have any questions on this, you can contact us by email on nationalcentre@equality.gov.ie