Approval for plan to turn Birr courthouse into creative hub
The redevelopment of Birr Courthouse as a creative hub for artists, writers, and performers has been given the go-ahead by Offaly County Council.
The decision to proceed was made at a monthly meeting of the Offaly County Council on Monday, October 21, following the delivery of a report by Offaly County Council Director of Services, Anne Dillon.
The original proposal by Offaly County Council was to refurbish the existing former courthouse building to provide for multi-purpose spaces, offices and meeting rooms and a small infill extension to the rear of the building, measuring circa 403sqm.
The proposed works also include the construction of a two-storey fire escape stairs to the rear of the building; a single-storey shed within the rear yard measuring roughly 105sqm; external lighting and the provision of one accessible car parking space to the rear of the site.
The building on Emmet Street in Birr is a landmark protected structure. The report to the council estimates that “close to €2,000,000 is needed to bring the Courthouse to a useable condition”.
Ms Dillon told the council meeting that three submissions had been made on the proposed plans, from Birr 20:20 Vision Ltd, An Taisce and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, all of which were positive.
An Taisce said it considers the application “to be a national exemplar in the new use of an historic courthouse”.
The Department of Housing said the project “is a good example of and appropriate reuse of a key, underutilised building, within a historic town centre, respecting the character of the building, the interiors and the area and successfully dealing with accessibility and energy efficiency issues.”
As all three submissions praised the proposal to redevelop the building, Ms Dillon recommended that the council's proposal proceed.
Councillor Peter Ormond said the success of the proposal was “testament to local groups work on this over the years”. Cllr Sean Maher said “when the project comes to fruition, it will be a big asset for the town of Birr”, but expressed concern over the availability of parking. He recommended that a pedestrian crossing be installed in front of the building.
Cllr John Clendennen highlighted the “amount of work that has already gone into protecting the shell of the building”, particularly in preventing rainwater leaks.
He concluded by noting that a proposal had been made previously to house Birr Boxing Club at the rear of the Birr Courthouse. While he recognised that this proposal had been rejected, he requested that the council keep Birr Boxing Club in mind in order to arrange a future long-term solution for their facility.
Birr Courthouse was purpose-built in 1810, with very little changes to its front facade in the intervening years. The last court cases were heard in the building in 2013, and it was transferred to Offaly County Council in 2021.
Since then, the council has carried out repairs to the roof, and replaced or repaired the front windows. This work was supported by a grant from the Heritage Council of €220,000 under the Historic Towns Initiative and a further €50,000 from the Historic Structures Fund along with matching funding from Offaly County Council.