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A VACANT FORMER AIB building in Dublin’s Blanchardstown Village should be to be put to “immediate use by local community and voluntary organisations”, Dublin West TD Patrick Nulty has said.
Deputy Nulty said the building had originally been acquired by the OPW over a decade ago for almost €1.5 million by the taxpayer yet “had been allowed to remain complete idle ever since”.
“I walk through Blanchardstown village on an almost daily basis and there are almost a dozen vacant or abandoned buildings there for one reason or another,” Nulty said. “This former AIB building in public ownership should be put to immediate community usage. For example, I was recently contacted by the local scout group in Blanchardstown who require a permanent scout den – why could they not be allocated this premises?”
In a Dáil question to the Minister of Finance, Nulty asked the position regarding the building, which owned by the Office of Public Works, including the ongoing annual cost of insuring and making the building secure. He noted that a number of local voluntary and charitable organisations have made enquiries regarding the potential for using this building, and asked if the Minister would make the space available on a temporary basis to local voluntary and charitable organisations, pending a decision on the building’s long term future.
Building was intended for the Probation and Welfare Service
Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, Brian Hayes TD, said the building was acquired in April 2002 at a cost of €1,358,620, excluding VAT, and was originally intended to house the Probation and Welfare Service.
However, a subsequent decision was made by the Probation and Welfare Service not to locate to the property, Hayes said.
“As no alternate State requirement could be identified for this property, at that time, the OPW decided that the property was surplus to requirements and as part of the rationalisation programme it was placed on the market. While there have been expressions of interest in the purchase and/or leasing of the property, it remains on the market,” he said.
Hayes said that, as the property is State-owned, there are no insurance costs but that the average annual costs covering works to prevent any deterioration of the building, care and maintenance, general repairs and upkeep of the building total approximately €5,000.
Department of Social Protection has ‘ruled out’ using the property
Hayes noted that, more recently, the OPW again engaged with the Department of Social Protection on the potential of using this space but that Department had “ruled out” using this property.
No details as to why the property has been deemed unsuitable by the Department of Social Protection were included in Hayes’ response.
Regarding the possibility of allowing the empty space being used by local community groups or charities, Hayes said: “As the property remains on the market it would not be appropriate to enter into any licensing arrangement for community use at this time.”
More of this please Journal folk. Great read.
And Intellegent articles mean less food for trolls.
I agree but it’s spelt “intelligent”. Sorry I couldn’t resist it. ;)
I graduated with a masters in nanobioscience… and I find this article a bit strange.. why?
Well for most graduates like me, its still very very difficult to get work especially in nanoscience or related fields – in fact I’m returning to australia where I will find work.
Also because of the government cuts, its really difficult to get funding unless of course you are a professor…
I actually made attempts at growing human finger bones in the lab in the last 12 months, it worked. But I can’t get funding even though I have been asked to continue.
Instead of calling my thesis “An investiagtion into osteoblast adhesion…” I was going to call it “scientist gives ireland the finger…”
anyways, regarding nanoparticles, yes they can be dangerous, the particles can get into your lungs (potentially) and cause gradual respiratory deterioration. I’m quite concerned that there seems to be an “unhealthy” obsession with faster processors and non stick coatings but no ones asking what are the environmental/ health ramifications for producing these “products” . It just seems to be all about making a quick buck for some at the expense of everyone.
I know this feeling
The policy decisions of the Government with regard to Crann might be paying dividends for the Irish economy but in another centre for nanoscience in Ireland and the largest ICT research institute in Ireland, Tyndall in UCC, the government have refused to correct an anomaly between the pay and conditions of Tyndall-based UCC staff and that of the rest of the University. Tyndall-based UCC staff are paid up to 40% less than their peers in the same roles in UCC. Tyndall staff have not received any increments for more than 4 years as Tyndall-based UCC staff are not to be found on any of the pay scales which exist in the rest of the University and yet have received the same pay cuts as everyone else in the public sector.
This situation is now having a critically negative impact through:
o Failure to retain world class researchers
o Loss of research income
o Damage to UCC’s reputation
o An inability to attract key personnel
o Total destruction of Staff morale
The failure (and point blank refusal) of the government to rectify this anomaly that is affecting the 450 people in Tyndall does not sound like a government who view national research credentials as being extremely attractive and crucial to the economy.
I hope it gets sorted soon for the sake of the country,we cant afford not to,a class act like the Tyndall institute has always been to the fore in research.
Invest now, I heard Nano sciences are going to be huge!!! (“,) *I’ll get me coat.
1 nanometre = 1billionth of a metre.
1 hair is about 100,000 nanometres wide.
A six foot man is 1,828,800,000 nanometres tall.
Good luck cutting that cake, baggsy first slice. :D
My peepers are going, at first glance I saw a Storm Trooper……….
Working with nano particles will be very dangerous. It could be the new asbestos.
Think about it, there is no protective gear out there that these nano particles can’t get through, masks etc far as I know these particles can penetrate through your skin.
Excellent article. More like this m the journal please.
Fascinating
This is a good video explanation: http://youtu.be/70ba1DByUmM …
Used in making medicines to suit an individuals medicine requirements if a family has a defective gene that may cause some life threatening illness to be eradicated. also with the human genome already mapped out could be used to wipe out certain races or groups that other people may find an impediment to their world view. Great news but also worrying as well.
Great to see science getting coverage.
have your say