ALL SYSTEMS GO FOR MARKET HOUSE

COUNCIL AGREE TO PROGRESS TO NEXT STAGE OF REDEVELOPMENT

THE redevelopment of the Market House is expected to get under way within 12 months after the council agreed to move forward with the project.

At a meeting which was held behind closed doors last Tuesday members of Gorey Municipal District agreed to prepare its minimum blueprint of requirements for the re-development works.

This list of requirements will allow those interested in taking on the project see the scale and scope of works that will be allowed by the council as it tries to balance the development of the area and safeguard the historic Market House which is a protected structure.

Following on from this the council will look for detailed proposed from parties willing to work hand in hand with the council to progress the project which will either be of cultural, artistic or community benefit to Gorey.

Once a partner has been selected the refurbishment works which could take in the region of 18 months will get under way.

Councillors were told that a total of 21 submissions had been received from a variety of individuals, groups and entities following a call for submissions on the Market House with a number of uses for the redeveloped Market House mooted.

These included a cultural/artistic space, heritage/museum, community space, multi purpose music and events venue, social housing, tourist office and a theatre.

The majority of submissions felt that the redevelopment should bring a cultural benefit to Gorey and ‘that a viable and achievable result would be a shared commercial/public redevelopment proposal that would deliver a commercial return capable of supporting cultural, artistic and community uses of the building’.