City Council to miss out on €8m planning contributions over Workday decision to axe Dublin HQ plan
Computer-generated image of the proposed development by workday in Grangegorman, Dublin.
Dublin City Council is to miss out on €8m in planning contributions arising from Workday’s decision not to proceed with its new Dublin EMEA HQ at Grangegorman.
The US financial management software company has now secured planning permission from the City Council for the EMEA headquarters at Grangegorman - only days after Workday told staff that it wouldn't be proceeding with the ambition plan.
The planning permission by Dublin City Council for the mixed-use 12-storey high scheme at the Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) at Grangegorman at Dublin 7 includes two conditions that required Workday to pay €8m in planning contributions.
The council included a condition that Workday pay the Council €6.1m towards public infrastructure and another €1.99m to the council in respect of the Luas Cross City Scheme.
However, those contributions now will not be paid as Workday is not proceeding with the scheme.
The scheme was to give the firm the capacity to increase its workforce here to 3,500 and the Council granted planning permission after Workday lodged revised plans in March.
The grant of permission came only more than one week after Workday confirmed to staff and stakeholders on April 24th that it would not proceed with developing the new EMEA HQ at Grangegorman.
Today, Workday currently employs 2,000 people and plans to add 300 new employees by February 2025.
However, to support future growth plans in a speedier timeframe, Workday is to instead locate its EMEA HQ in an existing office space in Dublin city centre that is similar to Grangegorman in size and scope.
As Workday will not now be pursuing the development, the future of the site rests with the Grangegorman Development Agency and the site owner HSE.
Confirming the Workday Grangegorman scheme was not proceeding, a Workday spokesman said last month: “As we rapidly grow in Dublin, we have decided to expand our EMEA headquarters in existing office space rather than pursue a new development."
He said: "We hope to confirm the location in Dublin by the end of 2024, and we will continue to operate from our current Dublin office locations: Kings Building, Dublin 7, and Dockline, Dublin 1.” Workday first publicly announced its intention to construct new EMEA headquarters in Grangegorman in April 2022.
A spokeswoman for the Grangegorman Development Agency (GGDA) has stated: “The future of this site following Workday’s decision to relocate to existing office space is yet to be determined. It is unlikely to be built out in its current design however we’re engaging with the HSE and others to develop the site in line with the Grangegorman Masterplan.” Workday had assembled a large team to advance its planning application including planning consultants, Tom Phillips + Associates and architects, Henry J Lyons.
Workday declined to comment on how it spent on the project to get it to this stage of planning permission.
