Students living in Botany Bay have complained of noise pollution from ongoing building works on the Printing House Square site, saying it has impacted their sleep and their studies.
Yesterday, this newspaper reported that Printing House Square would likely not be finished until 2022, after missing its most recent projected completion date of September 30th.
Final year European Studies student Tara Nic Giolla Seanáin told The University Times that she has been living with her boyfriend to escape the noise.
“Some days it would be really loud at one [o’clock] and some days it would be really loud at five. Then some days it would be loud in the morning, like you couldn’t even time it”, she said.
“It comes out of nowhere and it escalates to the point where I literally can’t hear what comes through my headphones. People in my [Zoom] class can hear what’s coming through which means I’m sitting there typing in the middle of class so that I can actually contribute.”
Nic Giolla Seanáin added: “When I’m paying the amount of money I am, to not be able to stay in Trinity is ridiculous.”
A room in Botany Bay costs €8,438 for the academic year.
Currently there are 52 people living in Houses 11 to 14 on Botany Bay’s east side, nearest the works. House 15, which is said to also be affected, has 11 residents.
Abby Fry is a final-year drama student living in Botany Bay. Speaking to The University Times, she said: “I have mostly online classes, so the noise right outside my bedroom window does make it kind of hard to listen to Zooms.”
“They do start at like 6:50 every morning, almost exactly. The crane is right outside my window. It is super loud turning on and it’s like the first sound of the day”, she said.
“My flatmate finds it hard to go back to sleep in the morning after they start construction outside.”
Fry said she received no communication from College about the noise or the construction before moving in. “But I knew somebody that lived in this exact apartment two years ago who was told two years ago that the construction would be over”, she said.
Both Fry and her flatmate have a significant amount of online classes this semester. “I’ve been taking my Zoom classes from the kitchen and I’ve been doing all my online meetings and everything from my kitchen space which is quieter”, she said. “The both of us are always trying to take classes from the kitchen.”
Fry added: “I think they should warn people before they move in how bad it’s going to be.”
In an email statement to The University Times, Trinity Media Relations Officer Catherine O’Mahony said: “The Printing House Square project is in its final stages of construction. There are specific time frames within which the contractor can work in terms of College activities, planning and traffic/access permissions from the City Council.”
“We understand that the noise during the day can be disruptive as we coordinate the last few months of activity within these narrow daily operation times”, she said. “We also have heard from residents recently that the workers on site have made noise outside the permitted times, and we will redouble our efforts to ensure this doesn’t happen.”
“We will do everything we can to minimise the disruption caused as we finish this important €62M project for the University”, O’Mahony concluded.
In an email to The University Times, final year psychology student Louisa Klatt explained how the construction has affected her: “As a Non-Foundation Scholar, I really appreciate the privilege of getting free accommodation, but I have to admit that I struggle with the fact that I’m living right next to the construction site.”
“Waking up six days a week around 7:30am is one thing, but the main stress comes when I try to do lectures or important meetings in my room and the work continues until 6pm”, she said.
“I’m not someone who studies well in the library, so I’m missing the opportunity to really focus on my work at home.”
In an effort to block out the noise, Klatt bought noise-cancelling headphones, “but I think it affects me anyways because every Sunday when it’s silent, I suddenly feel much more relaxed and calm”.
“Especially with final year projects starting already, I hope they will be finished soon”, Klatt added.
Speaking to The University Times yesterday, Project Sponsor Kevin O’Kelly said that, by Trinity’s own estimation, the project is five weeks behind schedule, and “optimistically” will be finished by Christmas.
However, the project could fall more behind schedule at Christmas, O’Kelly said, because “an awful lot of the labour force” on the project are from outside Ireland, many of whom go home for Christmas and do not return.
O’Kelly said the project would “more realistically” be completed in early 2022. “That means it’s not going to be available for a semester-two start, [because] even if we get it in January, we need it for a month, to bring in all the furniture, the fittings, the bed linen, the beds.”
“An awful lot of, for example, non-Erasmus exchange students come for the second semester, they will definitely need to have something sorted out before Printing House will be done”, he said. “It probably won’t be ready for the start of semester two.”
Printing House Square has been plagued with delays and roadblocks for two years, with the coronavirus having a halting effect on its completion.
