New Garda HQ work ‘on schedule’
Work on the construction of the new Garda District Headquarters in Bailieborough is currently “on schedule”, according to a spokesperson for the Office of Public Works (OPW).
Work commenced on the major project, which has been 15 years in planning, in January of this year.
Over €11 million will be spent converting the former National Irish Bank building into a new Garda Headquarters for the town.
The work, which is being undertake by Belturbet firm Adston Construction Ltd, is expected to be complete by September 2023.
Dogged by delays since first announced in 2007, the current station, a former RIC barracks, was deemed unsuitable for its current role in a GRA committee report and subsequent independent inspections of the station.
Hanging wires, cramped locker rooms, and no custody areas were all highlighted as gardaí pushed for an upgrade to condition.
In response, a number of portacabins were located at the Barrack Street site in recent years to provide additional accommodation.
Works to be carried out at the new site include a refurbishment of the historic bank building on Main Street and the demolition of a more modern extension to the rear. This is to be replaced with a three-storey, over-basement extension to the rear.
A spokesperson for the OPW confirmed: “Work on the construction of the new Garda District Headquarters in Bailieborough commenced in January, 2022. The construction period is expected to be 20 months and is currently progressing on schedule.”
However, they added that no decision has yet been made in relation the older station currently in use.
They say that “any decision” relating to the older garda station will be made at the “appropriate time”, and in line with the OPW’s disposal policy, “once the property is identified as surplus to requirements”.
“The policy on properties that are surplus is, firstly, to identify any alternative State use by public bodies, then to consider the option of disposal subject to market conditions, or community use may be considered subject to the receipt of a detailed written proposal that would be considered by the OPW.”