€200k boost for Birr Courthouse project
€200,000 has been allocated towards works for the conservation of Birr’s 19th century courthouse with a view to using it as a community arts hub, under the 2021 Historic Towns Initiative.
The announcement was made on Thursday by Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan TD, with nine other projects being funded to a total of €1.5 million.
In a statement, Offaly County Council said the funding will go towards securing urgent roof repairs to prevent water ingress and for works to the façade of the building.
The Courthouse closed in 2013 as a court and it was agreed to transfer the ownership from the OPW to Offaly County Council who are working with Birr 2020 to facilitate the development of an arts hub.
The council said additional funding would be needed for the next phase to restore and adapt the interior for use as an arts hub.
A Conservation Masterplan has been commissioned by the county council and conservation architects Howley Hayes are in the process of developing this document which will scope out all the work needed for a viable reuse and this will inform all the works to be done on site.
The courthouse on Townsend Street closed in 2013 and it was agreed to transfer the ownership from the OPW to Offaly County Council who are working with Birr 2020 to facilitate the development of an arts hub, given the name ‘Birr Creative Court.’ This will include a studio space, artist studios, a multi-functional space for dance and rehearsal, exhibition space and community art space.
According to a report on the potential of Birr Courthouse, the overall concept is to “create a cooperative and supportive working environment for creative artists, nurtured by the artistic and cultural community of the town, inspired by the heritage and history of Birr and supported through specific residency programmes and grant-aided initiatives.”
Plans are also underway to develop a permanent home for Birr Boxing Club in the yard of the re-imagined courthouse complex.
Independent Councillor for Offaly John Carroll, who is also a member of the Birr 2020 group, has said the funding is a “very welcome development.”
“It was an objective of Birr 2020 when it was founded to restore the building and not have it go derelict,” he said.
“There were feasibility studies done and we worked closely in hand with the council and court services. The council looked at the structure of the building and the studies on the necessary works to be done, and when this application was made there was a very strong case put forward for it.
“I look forward to it being developed into the creative hub that we have in mind. The building has been unsightly since 2013, and it’s important that first impressions of Birr are high now that it is a heritage town.
I have no doubt that this investment will turn the building into a very useful asset for the community in the years ahead.”
As for a time-frame for the development, he said that the submission was made on the basis of the project being “shovel-ready.”
“It’s only a matter of liaising with the department and Heritage Council now. The next stage would be putting a tender out for a summary of the work that should be included under this funding.”
Green Party Minister Pippa Hackett has said that “Birr deserves to have its exceptional courthouse building protected and put to good community use.”
“It’s a protected structure which is worthy of investment. The plan to convert it into the Birr Creative Court, as a hub in which artists can live and work, is inspired.
“The additional intention for the Boxing Club to use of the yard space ensures that it would be used to its full potential. The first step is to refurbish it, so I’m delighted to see €200,000 being allocated.”
The aim of the initiative, which is a joint undertaking with the Heritage Council, is to provide jobs and economic stimulus through heritage-led regeneration and will aid the rebuilding of local economies with heritage as a focal point.