The contract for the redevelopment and refurbishment of the Drogheda Civic Offices in Fair Street between Louth County Council and TownLink Construction, Greenhills Business Park, Tallaght, Dublin was signed on Wednesday 23rd March.
In a statement issued today Chief Executive of Louth County Council, Joan Martin said: “The redevelopment and extension to the Drogheda Civic Offices has been an objective of Louth County Council for many years so today is an important milestone.
“When the works are completed the facilities for the public will be greatly improved and two currently unoccupied buildings will be brought back to life and will provide additional community facilities. This project will also tie in with the proposed URDF Westgate Vision Redevelopment works”.
Councillor Pio Smyth, Cathaoirleach of Louth County Council also welcomed the contract signing and said: “The signing of the contracts for the civic buildings in Drogheda is a substantial investment and is a good news story for the town. When the project is completed Drogheda will have a Council Chamber and Civic Offices second to none. Due respect must be paid to Chief Executive, Joan Martin, for sourcing funding and helping to bring this project to fruition.”
Councillor James Byrne, Mayor of the Borough District of Drogheda commented that: “It is fantastic to finally see the signing of contracts to redevelop the Council Chamber and adjoining building on Fair Street after seeing them vacant for so long. It will give the street a new lease of life with the creation of much-needed civic spaces, both inside and outside. I’m pleased that the works will commence without delay and that it should be completed by the end of next year.”
The redevelopment of Drogheda Civic Offices consists of the complete refurbishment and creative re-use of two existing unoccupied Protected Structures within the Architectural Conservation Area of Fair Street, as well as the construction of a New Link Building which will sensitively connect these historic structures together in order to create an exemplary civic office complex.
The site has significant frontage onto Fair Street and the contemporary intervention has been designed to respect, reveal and enhance the restored features of the protected structures whilst also providing a new public entrance, gateway and plaza.
The project encompasses 1,985sqm of development and once opened to the public the new facility will house a number of administrative and community spaces for Louth County Council.
In summary, the Drogheda Civic Offices development will consist of the main facilities:
- Renovated Borough District of Drogheda Meeting Chamber
- Large Multi-Use Public Exhibition Space
- New Entrance Foyer with Public Services Counter
- No. of Administrative Offices, Meeting Rooms & Conference Facilities
- Independent Office Facility with Meeting Rooms (100 workstations)
A high standard of sustainable development was set for this project to vastly improve on the environmental impact of the current council buildings on site. This has been delivered through the introduction of a series of measures such as rainwater recovery, photovoltaic panels and robust energy efficient LED luminaries to significantly reduce water and energy consumption relative to the existing office accommodation.
The New Link Building in particular also has a sedum grass roof which will improve the visual and environmental impact of the building, whilst helping improve biodiversity within the urban environment.
Louth County Council appointed Building Design Partnership as lead Designers for this project. Following a competitive tendering process Townlink Construction have been appointed as Works Contractor and the project is due to commence on site on 28th March 2022 with an anticipated completion date of Autumn 2023.
Mr David Caulfield, Managing Director, Townlink Construction remarked: “We are delighted to have been appointed by Louth County Council to construct the new Civic Offices in Drogheda. The new building combined with the refurbishment of the former council chamber and historic buildings is a very prestigious project and will bring new life to the Fair Street area. We are looking forwards to working with the Council and the entire design team led by BDP to realise what will be fantastic project for the town of Drogheda.
Present at the signing were Joan Martin, Chief Executive, Louth County Council; Councillor Pio Smith, Cathaoirleach, Louth County Council: Councillor James Byrne, Mayor of the Borough District of Drogheda;David Caulfield, Managing Director, Townlink Construction and Joe Mc Carron, Director, Townlink Construction.
