Listed structures in Waterford to be converted into tourist accommodation
The main building at Kilmacthomas Railway Station will be turned into two accommodation units, with capacity for four people.
A disused railway station and the grounds of a former bank are to be converted into tourist accommodation hubs under plans by Waterford City and County Council (WC&CC) to help boost the number of beds in the county.
The former railway station at Kilmacthomas and the area around Lismore's Bank of Ireland, both of which are listed structures, will be transformed in projects costing an estimated €500,000.
The railway station has been closed since 1982, following 104 years of service, while the bank site has been deteriorating since it closed in 2020 after 123 years.
In a scheme developed in conjunction with the Kilmacthomas Social Enterprise group, the railway station's main building will be turned into two accommodation units, with capacity for four people.
Two traditional style work huts, also with capacity for four people, will be constructed, while a large model railway will be housed in a purpose built unit.
The model was constructed over 30 years by Lar Barton, a former caretaker at the council's Dungarvan offices, who died in 2022.
The model, measuring approximately 10m by 4m "explains the history of the line and includes local features like towns, villages, tunnels, bridges and station houses", says Labour Councilor Ger Barron.
WC&CC head of enterprise Richie Walsh says the huts and model railway will cost an estimated €250,000 with a similar sum required for the main building's scheme.
Meanwhile WC&CC will install five glamping pods in the grounds of Lismore's former bank, which it purchased for €290,000 in 2022.
The pods, at the bank's rear, are a collaborative initiative with the Lismore Town Association and will cost an estimated €350,000. Each pod will have a parking space.
Mr Walsh says "the primary concerns and needs of the community have been significantly identified as being tourism accommodation".
Lismore's only hotel has been operating as a refugee centre since March 2023 but had been closed for six years prior to that.
There are also plans to convert the bank building itself to tourism-related accommodation but no final decision has been made.
Senior executive engineer for economic development Conor O'Neill says the developments support the council's policy on "promoting sustainable reuse of protected structures".
While supported by funding strands like the Town and Village Renewal programme, Mr Walsh says the council's partnering approach enables those non-statutory bodies to access funding streams beyond the council's remit.
Both projects are expected to be completed by year's end and will be managed by third parties.
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