Council to make big step forward in Birr Rectory Fields project

OFFALY County Council is about to make a big step foward in the Rectory Fields project in the centre of Birr, a project which will provide additional houses, facilities and garden allotments.
This week, Mary Flynn of Birr Municipal District told The Midland Tribune that the Council “is hoping to go to Pre Part 8 in March or April and to also make the Masterplan available to the public.”
“Pre Part 8” means that the Council will be engaging in pre-planning consultations before the formal Part 8 process begins. This gives the Council an opportunity to have further discussions about the development before proceeding to the serious, committed Part 8 part of the process.
This discussion period will be an uncertain timeframe, lasting anything from a number of months to years. Often with Council projects everyone's patience is sorely tested as they can take a very long time indeed; often years longer than what the Council initially projected. Some people say this slowness is an endemic, cultural thing right across Ireland's local authorities.
Once these discussions are completed then the Part 8 process will kick into action with its usual array of mandatory public consultation, notices in local newspapers, and a report to the Councillors, who will either approve, modify or reject the proposals. Once the Councillors give their stamp of approval then the building work can, finally, begin.
A few months ago a monthly meeting of Offaly County Council was told by Andrew Murray, the Director of Services for Planning, Economic Development, Regeneration, Tourism, Heritage, Just Transition and the Municipal District of Edenderry, that the County Council Executive is determined to “unlock the Rectory Fields site.” He said it is “a really important site in the centre of Birr and it has the potential to be transformative.”
The Council Executive has been talking about doing something with the Rectory Fields, which is a 5.72 hectare / 14.13 acre site, for the last six years or so but nothing has happened. The Councillors have been talking about doing something with this grassland area for a lot longer than six years. At one stage a school was proposed for the site. In 2020 Cllr Peter Ormond suggested an athletics track; during the same meeting Cllr John Carroll suggested vegetable allotments. In March 2020 Frank Heslin, a previous Director of Services, told the Councillors that the Council had bought the site and was planning to build social housing there, perhaps 30 to 40 houses, as well as the proposed Primary Care Centre. It was subsequently decided to not locate the Primary Care Centre there and it's not certain how many houses will eventually be built on the site; nor has a time scale been proposed.
The site is mentioned in the important Local Area Plan which was passed and adopted by the Councillors in May 2023.
An extensive public consultation process was also carried out by the Paul Hogarth Company on behalf of the County Council; and a Masterplan was drawn up.
The Paul Hogarth Company updated the Councillors of Birr Municipal District about the Masterplan during their January 2026 monthly meeting. Unfortunately, this meeting was held in camera and The Midland Tribune therefore could not attend.
The Paul Hogarth Company are based in Dublin, Belfast and Edinburgh. They are landscape architects, urban designers and planners. Their public consultation process occurred during 2023 and can be viewed online. Much of this makes for interesting reading. “This process,” the Company state at the beginning of their document, “aims to sensitively develop the Rectory Fields as an integral part of your Birr. It was clear from the findings of the first part of the consultation process how important it is to provide space for people, be it public, green or active space...An emerging vision, design principles and concept for the area emerged during the consultation process...The area is zoned for Town Centre and Mixed Use.” The company says Offaly County Council is committed to creating an area which is: Green and biodiverse; a child-friendly, low traffic neighbourhood; and a home to a thriving and diverse town centre community. One of the headings in the company's document is “Rectory Fields - a pioneering 21st Century neighbourhood in the heart of 18th Century Birr.” Paul Hogarth also asked the public this question: “What do you think would not be an appropriate use for the former Rectory Lands?” This question revealed, in the public's mind, the most inappropriate use for the land would be: Parking; Retail / Hospitality; Housing; Commercial / Employment. The most appropriate use would be: Public Space; Sports / Amenites; Public Services. Paul Hogarth promised to provide for the needs communicated by the public, “such as more public spaces and more green spaces.” They promised to “create an innovative mixed use neighbourhood for Birr Town Centre which will:
1. Highlight and retain the mature trees, hedgerows and heritage wall.
2. Create multiple pedestrian and cycling access points to integrate the area with the rest of Birr. Vehicular access from the north.
3. Appreciate the Georgian architecture of Birr by echoing its malls and defining features in the modern architecture.
4. Create space for activities. This means pedestrianised space, green space and an opportunity to incorporate space for exercise in loops of set distances through the area.
5. Prioritise green solutions at the forefront of the design such as biodiversity, sustainable drainage and active travel (walking and cycling).”

The company pointed out that the Masterplan will not all be built at once but will be developed as a series of phases “over many years and as the funding becomes available.” The emerging first phase of the plan shows that there will be a provision of space for nature and people by creating “wide routes for activity through the Rectory Lands, ideal for playing, running, walking and cycling. Other areas of the site, during this first phase will continue to be used for grazing. In the future, while retaining links and green spaces, sensitive development is proposed to transform the grazing areas into a new town centre neighbourhood, including a mix of housing types and tenures (such as townhouses, housing for elderly) as well as other other uses. By keeping sustainability at the forefront, the design aims to be as innovative as Birr has always been.”