Work will continue at pace on delivering the major infrastructural elements of the Our Balbriggan Rejuvenation Programme in 2025, after a series of significant developments last year.
According to Dr David Begg, Chairperson of the Our Balbriggan Leadership Group, 2024 was one of momentous progress for the €54-57million plan.
Following the appointment of a contractor, John Craddock Ltd, work began on the plan’s flagship €15million project, the re-development of the Quay Street and Harbour area – including the RNLI Boathouse.
Separately, enabling works have commenced at the boat and bathhouse at the Martello Tower to bring these back into use.
The Quay Street and Harbour redevelopment is due to be completed in late 2025.
The Our Balbriggan Rejuvenation Programme is set to transform the town through public investment, and has seen work commence and continue on a number of key infrastructure projects.
“Five years on from the launch of the Our Balbriggan Rejuvenation Programme 2019-2030, the bricks and mortar transformation of Ireland’s youngest town is now beginning to take real shape,” said Dr Begg.
“There has been huge progress on the ambitious vision contained in the Rejuvenation Programme, the result of an historic community engagement which saw more than 25 per cent of Balbriggan’s residents outline their preferences for the future of the town.”
Work at the Quay Street and Harbour area has already seen the Mill Street Town car park redeveloped, with new trees and public lighting in place.
And an exciting milestone was reached with the appointment of a design team to redevelop the De Bruns site.
Fingal County Council appointed an architect-led multi-disciplinary Integrated Design Team (IDT) for the transformation of 6a-14 Bridge Street.
The Integrated Design Team model, which employs local stakeholder engagement to progress plans, has already been successfully deployed on other Our Balbriggan projects, including the Quay Street and Harbour project and the development of a creative hub at 2-4 Dublin Street, on which work is ongoing.
Leading award winning Dublin City-based architects, McCullough Mulvin is leading the IDT for De Bruns and is co-ordinating ongoing local stakeholder engagement for the 10,000 square metre site.
Fingal County Council has proposed a mixed-use commercial, community and residential development, with the River Bracken at its heart.
The plan is to link Millpond Park to a new park entrance at 14 Bridge Street to facilitate a pedestrian and cyclist route down to the transformed Quay Street and Harbour area.
It is estimated work will begin at the site in 2026.
The buildings are within an architectural conservation area.
A review of the Our Balbriggan Leadership Group and its Pillar Groups was completed in 2024 to future proof governance.
The Our Balbriggan Rejuvenation Programme is led by Fingal County Council’s Economic, Enterprise, Tourism and Cultural Development Department.
