A decision to proceed with plans to construct an underground car park in Leinster House is expected to be made in the coming months as the first of a series of potential new developments on the site.
The Office of Public Works has advised the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission, which is responsible for operating the Dáil, Seanad and Leinster House complex, that the construction of a car park is feasible and could get under way in the next two years, with completion by the beginning of 2011.
The possibility of a public private partnership project, where spaces could be rented to the general public has been ruled out.
The construction of the car park will allow for the restoration of Leinster Lawn, which has been home to a car park since the late 1990s.
The car park was created as a temporary measure during the construction of new facilities in Leinster House, and under planning regulations should have been removed a number of years ago. The OPW has applied for a temporary retention order pending the construction of the car park.
Should the two-storey underground facility go ahead, the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission plans to remove car parks from the front of Leinster House.
The commission believes this will allow it to provide greater access to the public to both the Leinster Lawn area and the front of the building on Kildare Street.
A decision on the project, which will also require Government approval, is to be made by the commission in the coming months and will be the first in a series of potential major developments on the site.
The advice was given by OPW officials to the commission during a meeting in late September, during which a presentation was made on the long-term options for the Leinster House complex over the next 20 years.
This included the construction of a new Dáil chamber, or major works on the existing chamber, and the expansion of the complex to take over the neighbouring Department of Agriculture Offices.
The OPW has now submitted a report outlining the long-term options for the Leinster House complex over the next two decades with a major focus on the long-term future of the Dáil and Seanad chambers.
Leinster House, built as the home of the Earls of Kildare in the mid 18th century, was bought from the family a century later by the RDS. The Dáil chamber is located in the lecture hall built by the society while the Seanad sits in what was the old ballroom.
Various proposals to build a purpose-built home for the Oireachtas, at various locations were mooted through the years but never implemented.
The OPW outlines a number of options for the Dáil and Seanad, all of which involve the existing site. These include the construction of new chambers, their total refurbishment, or the creation of multiple chambers, in order to meet the increasing requirements relating to the availability of IT systems, health and fire safety regulations.
An expansion in TD numbers within 20 years is also expected under the existing constitutional requirements because of population growth.