Refurbishments to Trinity’s Rubrics and Chief Steward’s House – centuries-old buildings on campus that are both earmarked for facelifts – could cost up to €20 million, according to College documents.
The preliminary budget estimate for the refurbishments – for which Trinity wants to apply for planning permission by July 2020 – comes to €19,933,784.
The figures are contained in documents submitted by Trinity as part of the tender process for the project, and include €7 million for the refurbishment of the Rubrics, €1.2 million for the Chief Steward’s House and €2 million on construction, equipment and professional costs.
The tender – for project management and quantity surveying services – was awarded to consultancy firm W H Stephens, with the budget also allowing for pre-tender price inflation of more than €1.5 million.
Campbell told The University Times in an email that the figure “includes all elements of the project (fees, survey costs, refurb costs, internal resource costs, furniture, inflation etc)”.
The overall cost summary of the refurbishments.
Last year, this newspaper reported that College was set to spend €860,000 on the project, which will see the refurbishment of the 300-year-old building “for residential and support uses”.
Campbell confirmed that the figure will pay “to get the design team appointed”.
She said the figure of €860,000 “is the amount currently approved on the project by Finance Committee and the draw down of the rest of the funding will be in accordance with governance and capital project stage-gates”.
In an interview with The University Times last week, Campbell said that the closure of the College due to the coronavirus pandemic has halted some of the survey work needed to apply for planning permission, adding that “the architects are able to continue doing what they can around the design”.
In an email, Campbell confirmed that an application for planning permission is “due to be submitted in July 2020”.
The Rubrics provided accommodation for at least 18 students until the summer of 2017, when they were taken out of service. The action was taken “pending a decision on the renovation of the building”, Anthony Dempsey, Trinity’s then-head of accommodation, said at the time.
Though seven staff members remained in the building, no students have resided there for the last two years. Some rooms are now being used by the Student Counselling Service, which is currently running appointments over the phone due to the ongoing closure of the College due to the coronavirus pandemic.
