Protected Tipperary hall to be transformed under new mixed-use plans
Plans to turn a former parochial hall in Tipperary into a mixed-use development have been lodged with the county council.
Declan Beary has applied to Tipperary County Council for permission to turn the parochial hall on the Main Street in Cappawhite into a mixed-use development.
Plans include a hairdressing salon on the ground floor, along with four two-bedroom apartments – two at ground level and two on the first floor.
Originally built in the 1930s, the Cappawhite parochial hall is a protected structure, and the change of use would include the conservation of the entire building, according to planning files.
A conservation report submitted as part of the planning application states that the hall has had many uses since it was built in 1931, including the first rural vocational school in Ireland in 1931, as well as the local courthouse and a social hub, hosting dances, bingo and events throughout the years.
However, the community’s needs outgrew the parochial hall, and in 2004, a new community resource centre opened to serve the village, causing the hall to sit vacant for a number of years.
An agent acting on behalf of Mr Beary said that the building needs immediate work to ensure that it can remain an important part of the village.
"It requires immediate attention to provide an adaptive reuse involving the necessary interventions.
“This will increase the lifespan of the structure and ensure that it can be repurposed for modern day living without compromising any significant historic elements,” the agent added.
Many elements of the existing building will be retained as part of the works, the conservation agent said, with the windows being retained and used, the timber floors will also be insulated and relaid in their existing form, while the stage that has been built in the hall will be dismantled, with the timber from this being used elsewhere in the property.
No parking is being proposed as part of the development, according to the planning files.
"The site is very confined and so no off-street parking is proposed. There are two very small external spaces to the rear of the ground floor apartments for use as bin storage,” the agent added.
"It is [Mr Beary’s] intention to conserve and reuse the structure, to ensure it remains vital for successive generations,” they said.
Tipperary County Council is expected to make a decision on the application by May 19.