Dublin City Council will miss out on €8m in planning contributions as Workday axes new HQ plans

​Workday has announced its planned new EMEA headquarters in Grangegorman will not go ahead

Gordon Deegan

Dublin City Council is set to miss out on €8m in planning contributions arising from Workday’s decision not to proceed with a new headquarters at Grangegorman.

The US financial management software company has secured planning permission for the EMEA headquarters on Dublin’s northside – almost two weeks after announcing it was not going to proceed with the ambitious project.

The grant of planning permission for the mixed-use 12-storey-high scheme at the strategic development zone at Grangegorman includes two conditions that would have required Workday to pay €8m in planning contributions.

The council said Workday should pay €6.1m towards public infrastructure, and another €1.99m in respect of the Luas cross-city scheme.

The council granted planning permission after Workday lodged revised plans in March.

The scheme was to give the firm the capacity to increase its workforce in Ireland to 3,500. Workday employs 2,000 people and plans to add 300 more by February 2025.

To support future growth plans in a speedier timeframe, Workday is to instead locate its EMEA headquarters in an existing office space in Dublin city centre that is similar to Grangegorman in size and scope.

Announcing last month that the Grangegorman scheme was not proceeding, a Workday spokesman said: “As we rapidly grow in Dublin, we have decided to expand our EMEA headquarters in existing office space rather than pursue a new development.

“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 – The Kings Building, Dublin 7, and Dockline, Dublin 1.”

Workday first announced its intention to construct new EMEA headquarters in Grangegorman in April 2022.

The fate of the site now rests with its owner, the HSE, and with the Grangegorman Development Agency.

A spokeswoman for the agency said: “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 much it spent to get the project to planning permission.