Plans to redevelop historic Tipperary courthouse delayed by three months
Plans to redevelop the historic former courthouse in Tipperary town have been delayed after the project came in over budget.
The former courthouse and Bridewell will be reimagined for adults with intellectual disabilities in partnership with MooreHaven.
Meanwhile, Dan Breen House is set to become a youth education and training facility in conjunction with Tipperary Education and Training Board (ETB) and Youth Work Ireland.
Both historic buildings in the town have been vacant for years, and have been earmarked for redevelopment.
At the September meeting of the Tipperary-Cahir-Cashel Municipal District, Sinn Féin councillor Annemarie Ryan asked for an update on the projects, wondering when there would be shovels on the ground.
“I know the tenders are back, but has a contractor been appointed? And when will we see actual shovels on the ground there?” she asked.
“I know Dan Breen House is a little bit ahead of the Courthouse, but could I get timelines on that please?” Cllr Ryan added.
An artist’s impression of what the Bridewell in Tipperary town will look like.
In response, council engineer Frank Cussen said that the project for the courthouse is currently over budget and needs to be looked at again before progressing.
“On the courthouse, we chose a first tender, but we’re over budget on it, so the Department have advised us to re-tender the project,” he said.
“Realistically, it will set us back about three months,” Mr Cussen added.
District director Damien Ginty said that the council was hoping to issue a new tender for the courthouse in the next number of weeks, as well as issuing a tender for Dan Breen House in November.
The projects were originally due to get underway this summer, but the previous tenders came in significantly over budget.
What Dan Breen House will look like after the project.
Funding just short of €10million was allocated to both projects, with €8m coming from the Government’s Rural Regeneration Fund, while the further €2m came in match funding from YouthWork Ireland and the MooreHaven Centre.
The projects were developed by Tipperary Town Revitalisation, using town centre first principles with the support of Tipperary County Council and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
Previously, Michael Begley, Tipperary Town Revitalisation manager said that the project hoped to bring new life into the town.
“The aim is to bring a long vacant building back into everyday use and provide a much needed amenity to MooreHaven to support the delivery of their services,” he said.