LAST UPDATE | 4 Sep

MINISTER FOR FINANCE Jack Chambers has said that whoever signed off on the new €336,000 bike shed at Leinster House must be held accountable. 

The new bike shed for Leinster House, which allows for storage of eighteen bikes, cost €336,051.30 in total.

The cost of construction and installation was €322,282.78.

Speaking today, Chambers said the shelter is ”a complete waste of public money”. 

“I think people are rightly annoyed at this, and there needs to be full accountability for whoever signed off on it and they should explain why it cost what it has cost,” he said. 

“I think there is a need within the wider system for those who are responsible for capital projects to be cognisant of value engineering, value for money, and ensuring that whenever projects are advanced, and that they’re at the lowest cost in terms of the taxpayer.”

It comes after a Galway engineering firm said it could build the bike shed for less than a tenth of the fee paid by the Office of Public Works. 

However, street furniture company Larkin Engineering said that while its “competitors” charge over €322,000, it could build and install a similar one for €19,995.

Get Your Own #LeinsterHouse #BikeShelter! 🚴‍♀️
Don’t miss this deal!
💸 Competitor's Price: €322,282
🔥 #LarkinEngineering: €19,995 (Supplied & Installed)
Or, go for our Cycle Shelter Type 1 (fits 18 bikes) for just €7,000
Give your bikes a best home without breaking the bank! pic.twitter.com/1xXahEc6Ww

— Larkin Engineering (@Larkinengineer) September 3, 2024

The company added that an even cheaper alternative can be provided for €7,000.

Stephen Larkin, the general manager of Larkin Engineering, told The Journal that he doesn’t think “there’s anyone that’s going to be able to stand over the costing” of the Leinster House bike shed.

“Something has gone very wrong in the pricing,” said Larkin.

He added: “Going into a building like Leinster House, you’re always going to put a bit of a premium on it, because it’s a protected building.

“You’ll add on maybe 15% due to unforeseen things that might come up, but from chatting to people, the estimation that most people are coming up with for all the work is around €60,000.”

While Larkin said these estimations do not include the granite flooring of the bike shed, he added: “If you go over the top and add on another €50,000 for granite, you’re still only in the region of €110,000.”

Asked about the social media post, Larkin said: “We were just making a joke of the whole situation.

“The situation is a joke already, but we were just jumping on it and making a joke of it as well.”

The shelter, which was hailed by Transport Minister Eamon Ryan as a good example of public sector climate action, also required archaeological advice to make sure it fit in at the parliamentary complex.

These costs came in at €2,952.

Ryan has since said the fee spent on the bike said was an “incredibly expensive cost”.

While he said the bike shed is on a “sensitive site”, he added that he was “shocked when I saw the price”.

In July, it emerged that Labour leader Ivana Bacik had pushed for new bike shelters at Leinster House.

However, the Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl replied to say it was “extremely unlikely” that planning permission would be provided and that the existing facilities were underused.

Asked about the costs involved, a spokeswoman for the OPW said: “The bicycle shelter is a new structure located within the setting of Leinster House, a protected structure of national importance.

“In response to the character of the historic setting a well-designed structure with an appropriate use of high-quality materials and finish were required.”

Meanwhile, there have been examples in recent years of Government funded projects which include bike sheds coming in at a fraction of the price paid for the Leinster House one.

In 2022, €50,000 worth of funding provided to a Co Kerry GAA club by the Department of Rural and Community Development was used to develop a walkway, car parking, a picnic area and a bike shed.

Under the same funding tranche, €50,000 was given to a Co Cork sporting club to develop a fountain for a lake, to upgrade a walking surface, develop a car parking area, install seating, and develop a bike shed.

With additional reporting from Ken Foxe and Jane Moore