Plans for new Drumconrath amenity to go on public display
Plans to create a new amenity area on the old Doyles site in Drumconrath as well as the refurbishment of Drumconrath House as a cafe and business hub are due to go on public display this week.
The former garage was subject of a compulsory acquisition by Meath County Council under the Derelict Sites Act at the end of last year and with the site now in council ownership, plans have been drawn up to create a new focal point for the north Meath Village.
Work began in recent months to secure the site and the asbestos roof has been removed. Contractors have also been engaged by Meath County Council to demolish the former garage building and this is expected to done in the next month.
The contractors are currently working on the Spicers site in Navan for Meath County Council and it is understood that their next project will be to knock the garage in Drumconrath.
A part eight planning application to develop an amenity area has been prepared which goes on display on Wednesday of this week.
The plans include site preparation works, site clearance and drainage improvement works, together with hard landscaping works including local stone cladding seating walls, resin bound gravel pathways, granite paving plaza areas and concrete seating walls with a wooden top.
Soft landscaping includes grass meadows and dotted small tree varieties.
A 3v3 half basketball court, two fixed structured table tennis courts, children's chute slides and outdoors exercise equipment are also in the plans.
Conservation works will be carried out to Drumconrath House and a change of use is proposed from residential to cafe on the ground floor and economic self contained business rooms on the upper floor. There will be improvement works to the junction including traffic calming measures, speed bumps and new roadside kerbing.
Local councillor Eugene Cassidy welcomed the project moving on to the planning stage. He said: "This is the next step, to put in the planning application. We have been working on this for the past year and a half and it is great to get it to the stage of planning. Once planning is secured, the next stage will be to look for funding.
"It is going to transform the village of Drumconrath. A lot of work has been done in Drumconrath over the last few years and this will is something residents in the village have been looking for a long number of years for something to be done with that site."
The plans are on display from Wednesday 11th June up to Wednesday 9th July at the planning office at Meath County Council's Headquarters at Buvinda House, Navan, the Kells MD offices at Kells Town Hall and online at https://planning.localgov.ie. Submissions can be made up to 23rd July.