Courthouse refurb to cost €700,000
THE transformation of Enniscorthy’s Courthouse into office space is to come at a cost of around €700,000 and will take around six months to complete. District Manager Liz Hore last week confirmed that the contracts were very close to being signed on the project and that a contractor would be appointed shortly.
Last week it emerged that the plans to fit the historic building out as office space had resurfaced and were progressing well. As was the initial plan, the Municipal District Council Offices will make a temporary move from Mar- ket Square to the Courthouse while renovations are ongoing there. As soon as the council offices move back to Market Square, the Courthouse will be offered as office space to businesses looking to locate in Enniscorthy.
The District Manager confirmed that the council offices would probably be located at the Courthouse for up to two years as the work is carried out on the offices at Market Square.
‘One of the areas we’re focusing on renovating in the Market Square area is the reception area,’ she said. ‘Being so central, we have a high footfall in our offices which is great, however, the reception area is not ideal. Also we’ll be looking at ways of making the old building more accessible.’
In relation to moving the offices to the Courthouse, Ms Hore continued:
‘Again, it’s a central location so it’s perfect for us while this work is going on. Then we anticipate that there will significant interest in office space in the building afterwards.’
‘A lack of office space in town is one of the weaknesses that has been identified and we hope this can address that and possible generate jobs.’ Similarly, Chairman of Wexford County Council Keith Doyle described the move as ‘another piece of the jigsaw to regenerate Enniscorthy.’