Progress made on Ballinrobe Town Hall project

WORK on Ballinrobe's new town hall will begin in early 2024, according to a local county councillor. 

Cllr Michael Burke, who is vice-chairman of the Ballinrobe Town Hall Committee, said that a position for project manager to oversee the development can now be advertised. 

Last year, a sum of €4.5 million was allocated towards the repurposing of the former Valkenburg Hotel as a multi-purpose community facility under the government's Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) programme.

The development was hailed as the 'the single largest public investment in a community project in the history of south Mayo'. 

"We're read to seek out or advertise for a project manager then we should be in a position to go to tender with the whole contract. Hopefully something will be agreed by the first quarter of the new. We should be starting the work, hopefully," Cllr Burke told The Mayo News.

"We have our €5.5 million now, that's all in place and all signed for and everything like that. There's no issue with that. We have got our cost of increase on the works from what would have been proposed last year versus this year, that has been sanctioned for us this year. The town hall is in a good place. 

Ballinrobe Town Hall Committee had initially planned to build a new town hall from scratch before purchasing the disused Valkenburg Hotel for €305,00 back in 2020. 

Under the current plans, the building is to be transformed into a multi-purpose facility with accommodation, restaurant facilities, meeting rooms, and a hall capable of seating up to 300 people. 

The upstairs bar and so called 'white room' on the top floor will not be interfered with.

The building has been used for indoor gatherings and meetings on a limited basis in recent times.