Freemasons must open hall to other groups if they want to extend it into Cork city park

The historic hall must be available to community, social, musical, historical, ethnic, minority religious, refugee and other groups for 20 hours a month

Freemasons’ Hall was built during the 1760s and is shown as ‘The New Assembly Rooms’ on a Cork map of 1771. Picture: Denis Minihane

The Freemasons will have to make their historic hall in Cork city centre available to groups for 20 hours a month under the terms of a proposed €1 disposal deal for part of a public park.

The condition is contained in the official statutory disposal notice for a 53.6 square metre parcel of publicly-owned land in Bishop Lucey Park to the legal entity for the Provincial Grand Lodge of Munster Freemasons.

It follows a 24-7 vote by councillors in May 2022 to approve a material contravention of the city development plan in relation to the area of land to the rear of the Masonic Hall at 27 Tuckey Street.

The vote effectively approved planning permission to the Freemasons for an extension of its hall on the park site to provide a passenger lift and modern fire evacuation facilities designed to improve fire safety and universal access in the landmark structure.

The extension will require the removal of 15 semi-mature birch trees, nine of which are in good condition, but there is a plan to plant 15 replacement birch trees. There have also been talks to ensure that the extension is “integrated in a sensitive manner” into the redeveloped park.

The land disposal notice sets out how the council plans to dispose of the plot, which the council acquired by agreement from GP Holdings Ltd in March 1995 to Craft Properties Ltd, the legal entity for The Provincial Grand Lodge of Munster Freemasons, for the sum of €1, plus costs of €1,500.

The conditions include that Craft Properties enter into an agreement with the council to allow third-party groups access to the hall for a minimum of up to 20 hours a month, for community, social, musical, historical, ethnic, minority religious, refugee and other uses, on either a free or costs-only basis.

The disposal is due to come before the next meeting of Cork City Council on Monday week for a decision.

Freemasons’ Hall was built during the 1760s and is shown as ‘The New Assembly Rooms’ on a Cork map of 1771. It was purchased by one of the Freemasons’ lodges in 1844 and has since served as the provincial headquarters for Cork city and county, and Kerry.

It is included in the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage with a regional rating of architectural and social interest.