New Business Plan being prepared for important Birr Courthouse project

FINANCIAL consultants have been appointed to draw up a new Business Plan for the Birr Courthouse project, “Birr Creative Court.”
Ann Dillon, Director of Services, told a recent meeting of Birr Municipal District that the consultants will be liaising with Birr 20:20 over the coming weeks and months to go through the hard work of hammering out a plan which will be feasible and sustainable for the refurbishment of the landmark protected structure.
She said the consultants will visit the property first and then engage in conversations with the local community. “They will talk to Birr 20:20 Vision which is the principal local group driving the project. The report which the consultants will eventually produce will support the Council's funding request for the project's proposed works.” The Director pointed out that the government department will want to see a detailed funding request report, outlining a detailed financial assessment and a proposed, stable governance structure. “The Department will want to see a sustainable financial and governance model in the report. They will want to see what uses for the building are being proposed; and where the funding will come from on a perpetual basis to sustain the building.” She remarked that “a similar exercise happened with the convent project in Ferbane. It's a detailed and thorough process which demands that things have to stack up appropriately before we can draw down any funding.”
The conservation and transformation of Birr Courthouse is being led by Offaly County Council, which is the owner of the building, in collaboration with Birr 2020 Vision, which has been advocating for years for its reuse as a Creative Court for artists.
The Office of Public Works handed over the Courthouse to the Council in 2021. The Courthouse last held a court in 2013 and has not been used since. Several years ago the Council commissioned a conservation master plan for the building from Howley Hayes Cooney. This was supported under the Offaly Heritage Plan 2017-21 with Heritage Council funding and a contribution from Creative Ireland funding.
A few years ago the Council arranged for emergency works to be carried out with particular focus on the valleys in the roof which were letting in considerable water. The windows on the front facade were also in poor condition and were repaired or replaced. 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 the Council.
Last year planning permission was granted when, with support from the Historic Towns Initiative from the Heritage Council, the Council approved the Part 8 planning process for the building's conservation.
An initial scoping report, titled Birr Creative Court, was prepared in June 2019, by Birr 20:20, which established the potential use of the site as a “creative space”, “to facilitate sustainable collaboration between local and visiting practitioners, and the wider community, in the pursuit of creative excellence.”
The thorough and excellent Howley Hayes Cooney report pointed out that for Birr Courthouse “it is important that the new use avails of the many separate rooms and spaces, utilising these as independent rooms or hubs. Due to its robust construction it would not be easy or appropriate to open up areas of the building or try to create substantial new connections between rooms. Use of the individual prison cells, which contain plastered brick vaulted ceilings and are more spacious than one might imagine, as artists studio spaces, should work well.
“Connections to the rear of the building should be considered, where there is an opportunity to provide secluded outdoor space, a garden or event space for performance. With its high boundary walls, and immediate sense of enclosure, this area could play host to outdoor cinema or some form of temporary cover provided.
“The courtroom was the most important space within the building, providing a place of spectacle, drama and public interest. New interventions should complement this historic use, and the space could be used to host lectures, presentations and small dramatic performances.
“An appropriate option for expansion to the rear would be a two storey flexible use space, connected to the rear of the building on the north side. This should only be considered after full refurbishment of the courthouse. This would allow for the incorporation of an outdoor space which could be used for events, while retaining a south facing external space.”
The Council published its Part 8 plans last August. These include “refurbishment works to 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 c. 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 c105sqm; external lighting and the provision of one accessible car parking space to the rear of the site. Ann Dillon last July told a Council meeting that “Slight changes will need to the made to the building in relation to energy improvements and disabled access”, adding that it was intended that the building will have “mixed uses.”
The ambitious plans to transform the former Birr Courthouse into a visual, digital and performance arts hub were first unveiled to the public in October 2019 by the Chief Executive of Offaly County Council, Anna Marie Delaney. The plans drawn up by the local authority and Birr 20:20 included a general studio space; artist studios; a multi-functional space for dance and rehearsal; exhibition space and a community art space. The 2019 plans said the overall concept was 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.”