COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF CLONDALKIN, NEWCASTLE, RATHCOOLE, SAGGART AND BRITTAS AREA COMMITTEE

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

QUESTION NO. 9

QUESTION: Councillor L. de Courcy

To ask the Chief Executive for a full report on Building Control enforcement and compliance issues at the Citywest Hotel campus, including the Convention Centre, Hotel and Leisure Centre buildings, following the Warning Letter issued by South Dublin County Council on 28 November 2025 in respect of 'material change of use and material alterations' at the Citywest Convention Centre.

Can the report include and confirm the following:

1. what enforcement steps have been taken since that Warning Letter was issued;
2. whether any Fire Safety Certificate, Regularisation Fire Safety Certificate, Disability Access Certificate, Commencement Notice, 7-Day Notice, or Certificate of Compliance on Completion has since been lodged in respect of the Convention Centre, Hotel, Leisure Centre, or any other building on the campus used for residential accommodation;
3. whether any professional compliance reports have been received by the Council in response to the Warning Letter;
4. whether the Council has assessed if any part of the Convention Centre or Leisure Centre has been used, or proposed for use, as sleeping or residential accommodation;
5. whether the Council considers the matters raised in the Warning Letter to be resolved, and if not, what outstanding compliance issues remain;
6. why an FOI response dated 31 March 2026 stated that 'no information was found' while also enclosing and releasing multiple records relating to post-warning-letter correspondence and follow-up action;
7. whether the Council will now publish or provide the relevant BCMS reference numbers for any applications connected to these matters

REPLY:

 Our Building Control section issued a Warning Letter in December 2025 to the Department of Justice concerning Citywest Convention Centre regarding a material change of use and material alterations at that facility.

 The warning letter requested the following: 

1. A regularisation certificate application in respect of compliance with Part B of the Second Schedule to the Building Regulations for the works as required under Article 20C of Part III A of the Building Control Regulations 1997 (as amended). 

2.  A disability access certificate application in respect of compliance with Part M of the Second Schedule to the Building Regulations for the works as required under Article 20D of Part 1I1B of the Building Control Regulations 1997 (as amended). 

3. A report from a registered architect, building surveyor or chartered engineer in respect of compliance of the works with the relevant requirements of the Second Schedule to the Building Regulations.

 These items remain outstanding at today’s date.  However, we are recently advised by the Department of Justice that the current timeline for submission is now approximately 2 weeks.  

Multiple relatively recent FOI requests have been received and processed relating to the Planning Enforcement and Building Control relative to the Citywest Complex including the Conference Centre, Golf Hotel, Apart Hotel and Leisure Centre.   All records available to South Dublin County Council have been released in accordance with the Freedom of Information requests received.