I welcome the news that Galway County Council are completing the pre-qualification process for the appointment of a Building Contractor and that the planning application is underway for the refurbishment of Loughrea Town Hall.
“The works include the refurbishment and fit-out of the town hall as a cultural, tourism, creative and enterprise hub in Barrack Street.
“The project involves funding of €1.6 million from the Department of Rural and Community Development, under the Rural Regeneration Development Fund. The total budget for the refurbishment is €2.2 million.
“Galway County Council is carrying out the project in partnership with Loughrea Chamber of Commerce, Loughrea Arts, Recreation and Culture (LARC), Naomh Brendáin Credit Union, Loughrea Tidy Towns and the Sustainable Energy West Committee.
“When completed, the project will regenerate Barrack Street and bring back into use an iconic building that has been closed since the late 1980s.
“It is expected that the new building will create 74 new jobs over the next three years and will generate an additional €3.5 million for the local economy.”