Saturday, February 01, 2025

OPW gets permission to convert State's last Magdalene laundry into 'national site of conscience'

Planning permission has been granted to the Office of Public Works (OPW) to turn the State’s last Magdalene laundry, which closed almost 30 years ago, into a "national site of conscience”, with a memorial and research centre at its heart.

Dublin City Council granted planning, with 21 conditions attached, for the proposed transformation of the former Our Lady of Charity and Refuge Convent and Magdalene Laundry on Sean McDermott St to the National Centre for Research and Remembrance (NCRR), and for the development of an adjoining social housing apartment block.

Among the conditions is a requirement for the OPW to “consult and engage with survivors, interested parties and the local community” on the finer details of specific elements in the proposed NCRR, including the ‘garden of reflection’, the museum interpretation and experience.

That is in the interests of the sensitivities associated with the former use of the site and to allow survivors and interested parties to engage fully in the design process.

Another condition requires the submission of revised plans for the proposed southern frontage of the education building, with planners requesting an alternative arrangement of the internal space to provide a lounge space or ancillary use to enhance the streetscape and support the overall renewal of Railway Street.

There are several specific conditions relating to the specialist conservation approach that will be required during construction, including a requirement for more detailed design in some areas, and the retention of some historic features in other areas.

OPW's plan

The OPW's plan for the site emerged following government approval in 2023 for a “national site of conscience” to open at the former Magdalene laundry on Seán McDermott St.

Under the plans, the Victorian building, a protected structure, will be redeveloped to honour residents of all Magdalene laundries, mother and baby and county homes, reformatories, industrial schools and related institutions.

The project includes the provision of a purpose-built archival repository, and the conservation, refurbishment, and upgrade of the existing convent, chapel and dormitory block.

The refurbished convent buildings and chapel will house the main museum and archive, with an adjoining new two-to four-storey building housing an archival repository and storage space at the basement level, with public reading rooms, conservation laboratories, and other uses at upper levels.

The overall development also includes a new three-to-five storey educational facility; the conservation and refurbishment of the existing derelict two-storey dispensary building to provide a community-based family and parenting support centre; the conservation of the historic Scots Church facade, a protected structure; and the delivery of a new six-storey social housing apartment building with 18 two-bed apartment units.

The existing buildings and new blocks will enclose a ‘garden of reflection’.

The site includes 64-72 and 77 Sean McDermott Street Lower, number 61, and the site of the former Scots Church, also on Sean McDermott Street Lower, all in Dublin 1.

Concerns were expressed during the planning process about plans to demolish its landmark high boundary walls and entrance gate to Railway Street, and about the lack of national awareness of the project in general.

More than 11,000 women and girls were incarcerated in 10 laundries operated by religious congregations from 1922 until the closure of the Seán McDermott Street laundry in 1996.

Ownership of the laundry transferred to Dublin City Council in the late 1990s, with the rest of the site transferring into council ownership in 2022. The OPW opened public consultation the following year on its proposals for the national remembrance centre, attracting more than 200 submissions.

Appeals can be lodged with An Bord Pleanála over the next four weeks. Subject to that process, work could start on site by the end of this year and be completed by the end of 2027.