Athlone Garda Station revamp due to begin next summer

Work on the long-awaited €8.8m refurbishment and extension of Athlone's Garda Station is expected to get underway next summer.

This morning (Wednesday), Justice Minister Minister Frances Fitzgerald, Garda Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan and Minister of State Simon Harris visited the station, where they launched the Garda Síochána Building and Refurbishment Programme for 2016 - 2021.

It was stated at the event that contractors would be invited to tender for the Athlone station upgrade in the first three months of next year and that work would then start in the summer of 2016.

The upgrade of the station is expected to take two years to complete.

The proposed new Athlone Divisional Headquarters will bring together two existing buildings from 1938 and 1945 respectively.

The two buildings will be interlinked by a third building which 'will resolve a variety of existing functional and technical issues.'

A specialist Garda Water Unit is also due to be developed in Garrycastle, Athlone.

Speaking at the launch of the nationwide building programme, Minister Fitzgerald stated that the investment “will allow us to provide new stations and to modernise older stations at key locations around the country, ensuring safe, modern working environment for Gardaí as well as fit-for-purpose facilities for visitors, victims and suspects.”