Mallow Town Hall rejuvenation plan gets €7m boost

Building on town's main street to be converted into arts venue

A computer-generated image depicting how Mallow Town Hall will look following its €7m transformation.

Long-held plans to convert a landmark but vacant and derelict public building in North Cork into a 200-seat theatre and regional arts centre have been given a major boost thanks to a €7m grant.

Cork County Council has been awarded the funding to regenerate and convert the striking former Mallow Town Hall on the town’s main street into a new arts venue.

The regeneration plan has been in the pipeline for some time, and was the subject of significant citizen and stakeholder engagement to tease out potential uses and to finalise a design that would enhance the main street, and restore the building’s significance as a vital community asset.

The building will now be refurbished, and a new link section will replace part of the existing building, while an extension will be built to the west and south to meet accessibility and fire safety requirements.

The local authority said the design would ensure accessibility, inclusivity, and universal design principles while retaining the original character of the building.

“The Mallow Town Hall theatre regeneration will be a magnificent example of heritage-driven town restoration that attracts residents and visitors to spend more time in Mallow town,” it said.

The funding comes from the Government’s Town Centre First Heritage Revival Scheme for the renovation, restoration and reuse of publicly owned vacant and derelict heritage buildings as part of wider efforts to revitalising town centres.

The Mallow project is one of five to secure funding in this round of allocations. The others are:

• €7m for the conversion of Gorey’s oldest building, the Gorey Market House, into a new community and cultural hub;
• €7m for the regeneration of the 18th-century townhouse, 18 Lady Lane, in Waterford city’s Viking Triangle, as the Tir na nÓg visitor attraction — the building will be converted into a life-size doll’s house;
• €7m for the regeneration of St Finian’s Seminary Study Hall in Navan as a new community hub and county archive;
• €3.8m to renovate the existing Nun’s Island theatre in Galway and refurbish the Church House to the rear, linking the buildings into a new multi-purpose creative hub called CreativeSpace.

Local Government and Planning Minister Alan Dillon said the projects would breathe new life into town centres.

“I look forward to the next tranche of funding and the benefits this exciting scheme will have in driving regeneration in towns across the country,” he said.