Public to have say on plans for North Cork arts centre
Council officials said a warm welcome will be given to anybody with an interest in the redevelopment at the ‘Have Your Say’ event which will take place at the Hibernian Hotel, Mallow from 6pm to 8pm on Monday, May 30.
Artists’ impressions of the proposed project will be available on the night and council officials will be on hand to answer questions and take on board the public’s views. Kanturk/Mallow municipal area officer Liz Donovan described it as “a very exciting project”.
She said proposals for the town hall include putting in a 200-seater theatre, an art gallery, cafe, dressing rooms, artists’ studios, and a band practice area.
The building was a theatre from the early 1900s to the 1970s, when it was taken over by the local authority.
Councillors will be given a special briefing on the project earlier that evening.
“It is a very exciting project that has great potential for those who live in the North Cork area to partake in any strand of the arts,” Ms Donovan said. “It would be very good if we could have a large attendance from interested groups and members of the public so that the many possibilities can be examined at an early stage.”
She said tenders for consultant architects to work on the project would shortly be assessed.
Around €1m has been granted for the redevelopment of the building as an arts and cultural hub under the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund).
It was the first grant aid secured by the local authority under the ‘Hub Town’ status which Mallow received in 2002.
