Athlone smart innovation hub expected to cost €10 million

The cost of the new smart innovation and co-working hub planned for the former Athlone RTC building on Northgate Street is likely to come to approximately €10 million, Westmeath County Council CEO Barry Kehoe has revealed.

Mr Kehoe, responding to a query from Cllr Frankie Keena about the timeframe for provision of the hub, at the July meeting of Westmeath County Council, said capital costs had become very expensive.

The former Athlone RTC building on Northgate Street is being proposed as the site of a 'Smart Innovation and Co-Working Hub'.

“There has been huge inflation and there's no sign of any prices falling,” Mr Kehoe said, adding that the executive was looking at how it can put together the financing for the medium and long term.

In an earlier presentation to members at the same meeting, acting director of finance, Michael Hand, stated that in April of this year, the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications had announced an allocation of €1 million towards the cost of the project from the EU Just Transition Fund programme.

“As you can see, it's a step in the right direction, but it doesn't get us anywhere near over the line,” Mr Kehoe said of the €1 million.

Continuing, he said the executive was hoping to get a planning application submitted in the next couple of months.

“I can't be more specific than that at this point,” he said, “but we do have a design team in place; we have prepared all the necessary drawings and other documents, and it's a question of making sure that the vision that we put through is one that we can afford and can build.”

If the innovation and working hub plan comes to fruition it would mean a building, part of which dates back to the Famine, when it was used as the Athlone Workhouse, could end up becoming a centre for new technological and commercial developments.

The building was also once home to the Vocational School, or Tech in Athlone, and it then became part of the campus of Athlone RTC, which was later AIT and is now TUS.

Cllr Keena asked about progress on regeneration in Athlone, particularly the Athlone Tourism and Cultural quarter and also the Loughanaskin site, as well as the timeframe for works in the vicinity of Athlone Castle. On the castle question, Mr Hand responded that the timeframe for completion ran to mid-2026, while on the general regeneration question, acting director of services, Anne-Marie Corroon, responded that the first phase involved creation of a master plan for these areas, which has been completed in the Loughanskin area, and the implementation phase would then involve picking projects out of this that could be brought to planning, design and construction. A query was raised by Cllr Aengus O'Rourke over the derelict site at Mardyke Street/Sean Costello Street which is currently on the market.

He wondered if there were any plans relating to this issue.

He was told that options for the site were being considered.