Consultation on temporary building use change at Richmond Education Centre, Dublin, to a temporary site for the Dublin District Coroners Court

We carry out public consultations because it is important that we hear from the general public. These opinions and ideas are considered as part of the work we are undertaking in the Department of Justice.

The Department of Justice, in its capacity as a State authority and department of the Government of Ireland, is seeking to temporarily change the use of part of the Richmond Education Centre, North Brunswick Street, Dublin from its current use as a training, educational and event facility for the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation to a temporary site for the Dublin District Coroners Court. This is considered to constitute a material change of use to part of the first and second floor of the building.

The Planning and Development Act 2000 (the Act, 2000 as amended) confirms at Part IX, Section 181 that the provisions of the Act shall not apply to any specified class or classes of development proposed by or on behalf of the State authority where the development is, in the opinion of the Minister, in connection with or for the administration of justice. It is considered that the use proposed by the Department of Justice conforms to this definition.

The Change of Use Site Notice and Environment Impact Assessment Screening are available to view below.

The Coroner is an official charged with the legal responsibility for investigating sudden, unexplained and unnatural deaths in his or her district. Coroners in the district of Dublin are appointed by the Minister of Justice. A Coroner is independent in his or her function. The Coroner acts on behalf of the State in the public interest. Although the office has important medical functions, it is a legal office.

The duties of the Coroner can be summarised as follows:

• to determine the medical cause of death
• to allay rumour of suspicion
• to draw attention to the existence of circumstances which, if un-remedied, might lead to further deaths
• to advance medical knowledge
• to preserve the legal interests of the deceased person’s family, heirs or other interested parties

The Dublin District Coroner’s Service is operated by the Department of Justice and the service is seeking temporary space for the provision of two additional Coroner’s Courts in which to conduct inquiries.

Drawings and particulars of the development proposed will be available for inspection, at the head offices of the State authority, Department of Justice, 51 St Stephens Green D02 HK52, and at Dublin District Coroner’s Court, 3 Store Street, D01 R638, during its public opening hours from 9.30am to 4pm from 29 September to 9 November 2022.

Submissions or observations with respect to the proposed development, dealing with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area in which the development would be situated, may be made in writing to the State authority within a period of 6 weeks beginning on the date of publication of the notice.

Please note, as it falls within the department’s consultation process, answers to this questionnaire may be subject to requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2014.

The deadline for submission of observations was 9 November 2022.