Funding bid fails for plans to transform former Tipperary cinema into enterprise hub
Plans to transform a former Tipperary cinema into a digital and enterprise hub have suffered a setback, after the project was unsuccessful in securing funding.
Tipperary County Council has been working on plans to develop a digital and enterprise hub in the former Rialto Cinema in Nenagh.
The 1940s cinema, located in Banba Square, was first allocated funding in 2022 for the start of the development, which is projected to cost €1.5m.
At the September meeting of the Nenagh Municipal District (MD), district administrator Rosemary Joyce told councillors that the project had been unsuccessful in getting funding under one of the schemes the council applied for.
“We have been unsuccessful in our application for funding under the Smart Regions scheme for the Rialto building.
“It was an extremely competitive process, and the funding that was available was cut,” Ms Joyce said.
The district and the council will continue to try and secure funding under other streams to bring the building back into use, she added, but said that a lot of money was needed for the project.
“Unfortunately, it is a building that does require a substantial investment, there’s problems with asbestos and so on and it is a protected structure.
“It is on the top of our list of priorities to ensure that such a prominent building in such an important location does secure funding and is brought back into use,” Ms Joyce added.
A number of councillors expressed disappointment with the decision, with Nenagh MD Cathaoirleach JP O’Meara saying it was an ambitious project.
“It’s extremely disappointing, it was an ambitious project, but I commend Rosemary’s work over the last couple of years, she put her heart and soul into it and I know how disappointed she was too,” Cllr O’Meara said.
At the June meeting of Tipperary County Council, elected representatives approved a proposal to dispose of the Rialto Cinema building, which is owned by the local authority, to enable the project to go ahead.
The building and surrounding lands were proposed to be leased to Rialto Regional Centre for Innovation and Enterprise CLG, for an annual rent of €30,000 per year. This price will rise by five percent every five years, starting in year two, according to council documents.
Tipperary County Council say they acquired the former cinema in 2020 as a strategic development from Angela and Donal O’Connor. The building previously housed Sheahan’s Homevalue Hardware, before moving to a bigger outlet on Martyr’s Road.