New B’boro garda HQ ‘progressing very quickly’

Plans to build a new €11 million Garda HQ in Bailieborough are “progressing and progressing very quickly” says Chief Superintendent for the region, Alan McGovern.

With Adston Construction Ltd appointed contractor in 2022, the build was held up as the Office of Public Works completed a deal for an adjacent property in the hope of extending the facility eastwards on the town’s Main Street.

The current station, a former RIC barracks, was previously deemed unsuitable for modern purposes, and current plans involved the demolition of a three-storey extension to the rear of the former National Irish Bank building, to be replaced with a new a three-storey over basement buid.

“It’s going to be a big boost for the town. Cavan should be proud that, for the Cavan-Monaghan-Louth division, the crime hub is being based in Bailieborough,” said Chief Supt McGovern.

“Some people might have liked to see it elsewhere but Bailieborough is at the heart of our division and is an important point strategically.”

He adds that a cyber crime unit, once earmarked for Bailieborough, will now to be located in Cavan Town.

“That’s more to do with connectivity than anything else,” confirmed Chief Supt McGovern.

“There will be a lot of capabilities in Bailieborough besides, which is good for the town. Bailieborough is a magnificent town.

“The plans [for the new station in Bailieborough] are progressing and progressing very quickly. Obviously Covid has had an impact on everything. We can’t help that. But this is a massive capital investment. We are working closely with the OPW. A project of that scale, and the facilities going into it, we want to get it right.”