Laois community in line for multi-million euro investment

A long Laois campaign to have one of the county's landmark courthouses saved from dereliction and repurposed for community use looks set to come to fruition in Borris-in-Ossory.

Minister Heather Humphreys TD has confirmed that the Borris Courthouse renovation project has been allocated €3.3 million by her Department under Category 1 of the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) 2024.

The project, which has been driven by the local community and has the backing of Laois County Council, will see the building repurposed to create a new digital hub. A total of €3,337,714 has been secured for the renovation of the building.

It is envisaged that once the courthouse is fully renovated it will become a remote working hub for 15-17 people, community facility and local area office for the Council in the Borris Mountmellick Municipal District. Local authority staff previously worked at the building before it was vacated over decades ago.

A modern new wing will also be extended to the Courthouse which has the potential to be used as a community enterprise, such as a coffee shop.

Fine Gael Councillor Conor Bergin, said he was "absolutely delighted" with the commitment of funds.

"This is a huge announcement for Borris-In-Ossory, and the proposed renovation of the Courthouse has been a major local issue for over 20 years since it closed," he said. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

"This is perhaps the largest ever investment in Borris-In-Ossory as a joint project between Laois County Council and the Department of Rural and Community Development and working with the local community to develop a major hub for employment, community and heritage in the village," he said.

The Council were successful in 2022 under Category 2 & 3 of the RRDF programme in securing €212,332 for phase 1, which included planning and design work. Renovation plans for the Courthouse were officially unveiled at a public meeting in Borris-In-Ossory with Laois County Council and Howley Hayes Cooney architects in March 2023. Planning permission for the project was granted by the Council via the Part 8 process in October 2023.

Cllr Bergin highlighted the significance of the building.

"The courthouse building itself has a significant place in local history in Borris-In-Ossory and is part of the heritage of the area, having being originally constructed in 1835. According to local tradition Charles White, the High Sheriff of Laois insisted that the Courthouse should be built facing in the direction of his home at Charleville, in the parish of Ballaghmore. 'Petty sessions', as they were known operated in the Court in the early 1900s and it held the status of District Court until the late 1960s. The original courthouse roof was burned off during the War of Independence in 1921.

"The premises have been derelict for almost 20 years and this project will hopefully both renovate a derelict building in the village and provide a 21st century state-of-the-art community centre and new remote working facility. I also understand a number of local people have various rare and historic memorabilia and artefacts from the Courthouse, which they would gladly donate to any exhibition or local history project which could be undertaken in the Courthouse once renovated," said Cllr Bergin.

Laois Offaly TD and Minister of State Seán Fleming also welcomed the funding.

"This funding is part of the Government and Fianna Fáil’s plan to support rural Ireland by creating employment and redeveloping our local towns and villages in County Laois," he said.

The project has been on the Council's radar for several years. In December 2020, it set aside €1.6 million in 2020 in a €130 million Indicative Capital Programme 2021 to 2023. This was contingent on getting money from the Government. Cllr Bergin said he was 'perplexed' with the project missed out on national funding in 2021.

Extensive renovations have been carried out in recent years at former courthouses in Mountmellick, Abbeyleix and Stradbally.

The Borris project is included in record funding of €164 million for 30 regeneration projects across the country announced on May 13 by Minister Humphreys. Edenderry in Co Offaly is the biggest beneficiary. It's getting €12.2 million for the redevelopment of a derelict site to provide a new Community Library and Arts Base and regenerate the centre of the town on a former Tesco site.