Tender issued for construction of iconic building within Swords Cultural Quarter

A major milestone in the Swords Cultural Project has been reached with the publishing of the tender for the iconic building which will include a county library, theatre, gallery, arts spaces, a maker space, and a café.

This is the latest stage in the tender process which has been underway for several months and responses are due to be submitted in February.  A comprehensive evaluation period will follow before the tender is awarded and contracts are signed. It is hoped that construction will commence in Q2 2024 with the new building due to open in 2026.

The necessary enabling works are currently taking place on the site at the junction of North Street and Seatown Road to prepare for the construction phase.

Twelve houses on the opposite side of Seatown Road are due for demolition and will be replaced by 36 new homes in two blocks of 20 and 16 respectively. A further 13 new homes are due to be built on North Street as part of the transformation of this part of Swords.

The Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Adrian Henchy, said: “This marks another important step in the Swords Cultural Quarter project. This building with be a centre of knowledge, arts and culture for Swords and Fingal and will have a strong focus on people and experiences which, through the delivery of a modern, dynamic, inspirational and educational programme of events and activities, will become a destination and a focal point for the local community and visitors.”

The Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, AnnMarie Farrelly, said: “Since the day this project was first mooted our focus has always been on delivery. Going to tender means we are another step closer to construction and delivering a valuable piece of community infrastructure for Swords and Fingal.”

The Swords Cultural Quarter is a 3.89 acre area around the junction of North Street, Seatown Road, Bridge Street and Main Street and the new building, which has been designed by renowned Architects O’Donnell and Tuomey, will include a new 3,000m2 County Library, an art gallery and exhibition space, a café, a civic area, studios and rehearsal rooms, and a Black Box theatre which can cater for audiences of between 165 and 360 depending on the type of event being staged.

The new library, which will be seven times bigger than the existing one, will offer the people of Swords a full suite of library services for the first time. In addition to a much larger stock of books, the new library will include the Local Studies and Archive section, as well as a Maker Space, study space, reading areas, events and meeting rooms.

Meanwhile, work on the Carnegie Free Library on North Street, which is being partially funded through a grant from the European Regional Development Fund, is almost finished.

The refurbishment and conservation works included the construction of a new two-storey extension to the side of the building to facilitate new services and improve universal access. The project will provide workspaces and a creative hub with flexibility for a range of community and arts activities including rehearsal and performance uses.

Phase three works at Swords Castle are also ongoing and consist of three elements which are repairs of outstanding historic masonry, a landscaping upgrade, and an electrical upgrade.

The Swords Cultural Quarter project is one of 16 contained in the Sustainable Swords Strategy which is a key part of Fingal County Council’s plan to ensure that, as Swords continues to expand, the town grows sustainably and develops into a well-designed county capital. It will focus on reversing the historic shift away from Main Street, which commenced in the early 2000s, to facilitate better placemaking and create a more resilient town centre.

For more information on the Swords Cultural Quarter project go to www.fingal.ie/swordsculturalquarter

ENDS

Tairiscint eisithe le haghaidh foirgneamh íocónach a thógáil laistigh de Cheathrú Chultúrtha Shoird

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Baineadh garsprioc mór i dTionscadal Cultúrtha Sord amach nuair a foilsíodh an tairiscint don fhoirgneamh íocónach ina mbeidh leabharlann contae, amharclann, gailearaí, spásanna ealaíon, spás déantóirí agus caifé ar fáil.

Seo an chéim is déanaí i bpróiseas na tairisceana atá ar bun le roinnt míonna anuas agus tá na freagraí uirthi le cur isteach i mí Feabhra seo chugainn. Beidh tréimhse chuimsitheach na meastóireachta ar siúl ina dhiaidh sin sula mbronnfar an tairiscint agus sula síneofar na conarthaí. Ceaptar go gcuirfear tús le tógáil i R2 na bliana 2024 agus go n-osclófaran foirgneamh nua sa bhliain 2026.

Tá na hoibreacha cumasúcháin riachtanacha ar siúl faoi láthair ar an suíomh ag acomhal na Sráide Thuaidh agus Bóthar Bhaile na Mara lena ullmhú don chéim tógála.

Tá dhá theach déag ar an taobh eile de Bhóthar Bhaile na Mara le scartáil agus cuirfear 36 teach nua ina n-áit in dhá bhloc le 20 agus le 16 iontu faoi seach. Tá 13 teach nua eile le tógáil ar an tSráid Thuaidh mar chuid den athbheochan ar an gcuid seo de Sord.

Dúirt Méara Fhine Gall, an Comhairleoir Adrian Henchy: “Is céim thábhachtach eile é seo i dtionscadal Cheathrú Chultúrtha Shoird. Beidh an foirgneamh seo ina lárionad an eolais, na ealaíona agus an chultúir do Shoird agus d’Fhine Gall agus é dírithe go géar ar an duiine agus ar an taithí a thiocfaidh as agus, trí chlár nua-aimseartha, dinimiciúil agus spreagthacha imeachtaí agus gníomhaíochtaí an oideachais a sheachadadh, go n-éireodh sé ina cheann scríbe do phobal na háite agus do chuairteoirí.”

Dar le Príomhfheidhmeannach Chomhairle Contae Fhine Gall, AnnMarie Farrelly: “Ón lá ar fógraíodh an tionscadal seo don chéad uair, bhíomar ag díriú gcónaí ar á sheachadadh. Ciallaíonn teacht ar chéim na thairisceanna go bhfuilimid níos gaire anois dá thógáil agus do phríomhchuid de bhonneagair an phobail a chur ar fáil do Shoird agus d’Fhine Gall i gcoitinne.”

Séard atá i gCeathrú Cultúrtha Shoird ná achar 3.89 acra timpeall ar acomhal na Sráide Thuaidh, Bóthar Bhaile na Mara, Sráid an Droichid agus na Príomhshráid leis an bhfoirgneamh nua arna dhearadh ag na hAiltirí mór-le-rá O’Donnell agus Tuomey ina mbeidh Leabharlann Contae nua 3,000m2, gailearaí ealaíne agus spás taispeántais, caifé, limistéar cathartha, stiúideonna agus seomraí cleachtaidh, agus amharclann an Black Box, a d’fhéadfadh freastal ar lucht féachana idir 165 agus 360 ag brath ar ar chineál na himeachta.

Tabharfaidh an leabharlann nua, a bheidh seacht n-uaire níos mó ná an ceann reatha, an deis sraith iomlán seirbhísí na leabharlainne a chur ar fáil do mhuintir Shoird don chéad uair. I dteannta le méadú mór ar stoc na leabhar, áireofar sa leabharlann nua rannóg na Staidéar Áitiúil agus na Cartlainne, chomh maith le Spás Déantóra, spás staidéir, limistéir na léitheoireachta agus na n-imeachtaí agus seomraí cruinnithe a chur ar fáil.

Idir an dá linn, tá an obair ar Leabharlann Shaor Carnegie ar an tSráid Thuaidh, atá á mhaoiniú i bpáirt trí dheontas ó Chiste Forbartha Réigiúnaí na hEorpa, ar tí críochnú.

I measc na n-oibreacha athchóirithe agus caomhnaithe, ta síneadh nua dhá stór la tógáil ar thaobh an fhoirgnimh chun seirbhísí nua a éascú agus chun an rochtain do chách a fheabhsú. Cuirfidh an tionscadal spásanna oibre agus mol na cruthaitheachta leis an solúbthacht aige ar fáil do raon gníomhaíochtaí an pobail agus na healaíne lena n-áirítear iad siúd an chleachtaidh agus an léirithe.

Tá céim trí na n-oibreacha ar siúl ar Chaisleán Shoird chomh maith agus tá trí ghné ann, siad sin an deisiúcháin ar a chuid shaoirseachta stairiúla den scoth, ar uasghrádú an tírdhreachaith, agus ar uasghrádú an leictriúcháin.

Tá tionscadal Cheathrú Chultúrtha Shoird ar cheann den 16 acu i Straitéis Inbhuanaithe Shoird atá mar phríomhchuid phlean Chomhairle Contae Fhine Gall d'fhonn a chinntiú, de réir mar a leanann Sord ag fás, go leathnaíonn an baile go hinbhuanaithe ina phríomhbhaile contae dea-dheartha. Díreoidh sé ar aisiompú a dhéanamh ar an mbogadh ón bPríomhshráid, stairiúil  ar cuireadh tús leis go luath i mblianta na 2000idí, ionas go n-éascófar áit níos fearr agus lár baile níos athléimní a chruthú.

Tá tuilleadh eolais faoi Cheathrú Chultúrtha Shoird le feiceáil ag to www.fingal.ie/swordsculturalquarter

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