From Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
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Five urban centres are set to benefit from funding of up to €7 million each under THRIVE, the Town Centre First Heritage Revival Scheme, awarded under Ireland’s two European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Regional Programmes.
THRIVE was developed by the Southern Regional Assembly and the Northern & Western Regional Assembly, working in close partnership with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The funding will be for the renovation, restoration and reuse of publicly owned vacant and derelict heritage buildings with the aim of revitalising urban centres. Through citizen and community engagement, the relevant Local Authorities determined the most beneficial end use for these buildings, which include theatres, cultural & community hubs, County archive, market plaza, community arts centre and a children’s visitor attraction.
Funding has been awarded in respect of the following urban centres (project details further below):
€7.0 million Gorey, County Wexford
€7.0 million Waterford City
€7.0 million Mallow, County Cork
€7.0 million Navan, County Meath
€3.8 million Galway City
Welcoming the funding awards, Minister of State for Local Government and Planning at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Alan Dillon TD said:
“This first announcement of capital works funding under ERDF THRIVE will facilitate the conservation, refurbishment and return to use of some prominent heritage buildings that are currently in vacant or derelict condition. These projects will breathe new life into town centres in keeping with the Town Centre First approach and create new community and cultural facilities for generations to come. I also look forward to the next tranche of funding and the benefits this exciting scheme will have in driving regeneration in towns across the country in the years ahead.”
Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Malcolm Noonan said:
“This funding will support local authorities in not only preserving and protecting these valuable historic buildings, but also ensuring their long-term sustainable re-use as key cultural and heritage assets at the heart of their communities. These innovative adaptive re-use projects have huge potential to drive town centre revitalisation and have been developed in collaboration with local citizens and stakeholders in line with New European Bauhaus principles and Town Centre First policy. I also look forward to the next tranche of funding that will support more THRIVE heritage led regeneration projects across the country.”
Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD said:
“A significant €32M is being allocated today across the five urban centres so that publicly owned vacant and derelict heritage buildings can be restored and renovated. Having visited many of these towns and seen the buildings earmarked for rejuvenation I can safely say this funding will make a massive difference. I want to commend the communities and indeed every tier of government involved, from a European, Regional and Local level, in bringing these projects to fruition. The THRIVE fund is empowering communities to shape the future of their urban centres by identifying opportunities which will help ensure their long-term vitality. I very much look forward to seeing the substantial regeneration which will arise out of this funding and which will strengthen the economic, social, and cultural vibrancy of towns throughout Ireland.”
David Kelly, Director of the Southern Regional Assembly, said:
“This significant Government and ERDF investment in 5 urban centres, through the Regional Programmes will have a transformative effect by breathing new life into these historic buildings and enhancing the social and cultural vibrancy of the area. The projects will act as a significant catalyst for revitalising urban centres and provide visible benefits of the support provided by the EU for our regions and people.”
Denis Kelly, Director of the Northern and Western Regional Assembly said:
“Vacancy and Dereliction is a significant challenge across our urban centres and has contributed to the decline of our Towns, Villages and Cities. The THRIVE scheme is an example of an innovative funding mechanism to deliver 100% funding to Local Authorities that will support the renewal of our urban centres and reinforce the positive image of them as desirable places to live, work, and visit. These projects will not only bring vacant and derelict heritage buildings back to life but will serve as a catalyst for the regeneration of our Town centres – a key policy of the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies adopted by the Regional Assemblies.”
Local authorities in receipt of funding will promote the values and working principles of the New European Bauhaus – an initiative of the European Union – in their projects to ensure their projects are sustainable, aesthetically pleasing, inclusive and accessible.
The Southern Regional Assembly and the Northern & Western Regional Assembly will open a second and the final call under THRIVE Strand 2 in early 2025 for capital funding for the adaptive reuse of heritage buildings owned by local authorities.
THRIVE is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union under the Southern, Eastern and Midland Regional Programme 2021-2027 and the Northern and Western Regional Programme 2021-2027. Further information is available on the websites of the Southern Regional Assembly and the Northern & Western Regional Assembly at www.southernassembly.ie and www.nwra.ie .
ENDS
Wexford County Council was awarded €7 million under THRIVE Stand 2. This funding will be utilised to regenerate the oldest building in Gorey – “Gorey Market House”, which is associated with the foundation of the Gorey Town in line with the Town Centre First approach. This cherished building was identified for regeneration and following extensive engagement with a diverse group of stakeholders and citizens, a co-created design for the regeneration of the building was developed.
In line with this co-created design Gorey Market House will now be converted into a new community and cultural hub by opening up 3 of the arches on main street, regenerating the existing building, building an extension to facilitate accessibility to upper floors and the creation of new café to the rear. By opening the arches, it will provide access to the rear of the building creating a new market plaza for Gorey which will be utilised for markets, concerts and events. It will also create a new gated entrance to the graveyard beyond the site which will provide access to a designated heritage trail.
The regenerated Gorey Market House will be aligned to the values and principles of the New European Bauhaus and will be fully accessible, inclusive, sustainable and beautiful and will foster a sense of pride in Gorey town. The Market House will provide green infrastructure and a natural biodiversity retreat within an urban setting, serving as a focal point for all age groups to meet and will elevate the profile for this landmark building.
Waterford City & County Council was awarded €7 million under THRIVE Strand 2. This funding will be utilised to regenerate the largest early 18th Century townhouse, on one of the oldest streets in Waterford City’s Viking Triangle, “18 Lady Lane” which is currently vacant and derelict. Using the Town Centre First approach and incorporating ongoing citizen and stakeholder engagement and an iterative process, the end use and design for 18 Lady Lane was co-created.
18 Lady Lane will be converted into a visitor attraction - Tir na nÓg – the land of young people to create a magical journey of discovery celebrating children’s past, present and future while conserving the original fabric and decorative internal features of the building to ensure authenticity is retained. The building will be converted into a life size dolls house, with a café and terrace lit by pencil lights on the ground floor, a new lift will be installed resembling building blocks and a new fire escape will be installed resembling a Meccano set.
In line with the New European Bauhaus values and principles the renovated building will be aesthetically beautiful with the sensory experience incorporated into all aspects of the design and will be fully accessible and inclusive. Tir na nÓg will develop a social inclusion plan to target children from socially disadvantaged communities and will set aside special days for children with sensory and intellectual challenges. A visit to Tir na nÓg will, we be for many children and adults their first step into a lifetime journey where they will engage with cultural institutions and thereby become empowered to question and interrogate the world about them.
Cork County Council was awarded €7 million under THRIVE Strand 2. This funding will be utilised to regenerate “Mallow Town Hall” on Main Street in Mallow, which is vacant and derelict. Significant citizen and stakeholder engagement has been undertaken over the years to examine the feasibility for the building and create a design that would enhance the Main Street, provide a valuable recreational resource to Mallow and restore its significance as a vital community asset in keeping with the Town Centre First approach. The design is community led and proposes the delivery of a shared cultural infrastructure that is sustainable, socially inclusive and beautiful.
This design will see Mallow Town Hall being converted into a 200-seat theatre and multi-use arts centre. The current building will be refurbished, and a new link section will replace part of the existing building and an extension will be built to the west and south to provide the necessary accessibility and fire safety requirements.
The design ensures accessibility, inclusivity, universal design principles and that the building will be beautiful while retaining the original character and aligning with the values and principles of the New European Bauhaus. The Mallow Town Hall Theatre regeneration will be a magnificent example of heritage-driven town restoration that attracts residents and visitors to spend more time in Mallow town.
Meath County Council was awarded €7 million under THRIVE Strand 2. This funding will be utilised to regenerate “St Finian’s Seminary Study Hall” in Navan’s Cultural Quarter which is a rare example of an oval shaped building with planimetric design and is currently derelict. Following significant citizen and stakeholder engagement and the exploration , preservation, conservation and potential end uses were workshopped. This led to the design for St Finian’s Seminary Study which was co-created by the citizens and stakeholders in Navan in line with the Town Centre First Framework.
The design for St Finian’s Seminary Study Hall is to convert this building into a new Community Hub and County Archive. The public realm will be restored in line with the natural gradient of the space to create a natural amphitheatre and along with the renovated hand ball alley will provide outdoor space for cultural and artistic performances and events and will provide linkages to other cultural buildings in its proximity and the historic core town. The community hub will be used for community meetings, workshops, classes and training and it will also act as a community exhibition space. The County archive will provide an appropriate space to store historical records, photographic collections and industrial heritage collections which will be available for academics, schools, historians, archaeologists and citizens free of charge.
The user experience will be prioritised throughout the design process by considering factors such as comfort, functionality, accessibility and aesthetics to create spaces that are not only visually striking but also highly functional and enjoyable to inhabit in line with the New European Bauhaus values and principles. This new community hub and County archive will create a permanent, designated, inclusive archive space, available free of charge, which will create new opportunities for the people of Meath and beyond to connect with their history. It will also provide and exciting new space with huge potential for community, civic and creative engagement with the citizens of Navan.
Galway City Council have been awarded €3.8 million in funding to renovate the existing Nun’s Island Theatre and completely refurbish the Church House to the rear linking the buildings into a new multi-purpose creative (Hub) centre, named CreativeSpace on Nun’s Island Galway City.
The two historic buildings located on the site, situated on the Western side of the Corrib River, the Nuns’ Island Theatre (built Circa 1835), is a former Presbyterian Church and the Church House, also known as ‘The Manse’, (constructed between 1855 & 1872) attached to the rear of the Theatre, originally served as a home for the church’s various Ministers.
Public Consultation on the role and functions of the Nuns Island site and its place within the creative and cultural landscape of the city was conducted by Urban Lab Galway on behalf of Galway City Council and the University of Galway in 2021 and 2022. Responses from the consultation identified that people wanted to see a multifunctional space that could be used for rehearsals, studios, meetings, events and administration.
Creative Space will offer Galway’s artistic community rehearsal and performance space and will promote the venue as the space for innovative and experimental work by emerging companies, individuals and minority communities in Galway.
Galway City Council state ‘that the long-term aim of the CreativeSpace concept is to consolidate Galway Arts Centre’s position as a key resource for artists. This will be achieved by promoting Nuns’ Island theatre as Galway’s ‘go to’ venue for emerging theatre and performing companies; by providing space at affordable rates to enable Galway’s artists to bring their projects to stage; and by nurturing amateur artists through our comprehensive youth led programme’.