This week, it was announced that the Land Development Agency (LDA) is set to be given ownership by the Department of Defence of Columb Barracks, which is at present home to 23 local community groups. However, the fate of the former Defence Forces complex, steeped in local history, is not at all clear, and there are serious concerns.
The Mullingar community including all those using the empty Barracks for seven or eight years, view it as a hugely valuable asset, capable of becoming a major Mullingar attraction, and they are calling on the authorities to permit them to be consulted before other decisions are made.
“Mullingar and its people need to be fully consulted and involved regarding the future use of the Barracks,” Topic was told.
Columb Barracks Restoration and Regeneration Committee, along with SkillsXChange and the Literacy Group, have been working steadily in the background for the last number of years, and last week, made public their vision statement which would see the Barracks transformed into “a vibrant community-owned and operated centre which will contribute
socially, environmentally and educationally to the town.”
Among the plans for the space envisaged by the group are a cafe, a hostel, short-term and long-term accommodation, an outreach educational and teaching centre, a climate research centre, a digital hub, sport facilities, a second town park as well as a museum, concert space and permanent home for the weekly Mullingar Farmers Market.
COMMUNITY SERVICES
The vision goes on to state that the Columb Barracks centre would provide education and other community services, and would incorporate renewable energy, zero waste and other environmentally sustainable and economically viable activities and practices; and would be an agent for the spreading of these practices and ideas, and for the transformation of Mullingar into a twenty-first century transition town which embodies these practices.”
Sub-committee member, Andrea Cullen (Bronte Design) revealed the committee have done a substantial amount of work over the last five years regarding an Energy Master Plan. “The concept is the idea of this civic space and cultural mill. Mullingar is named after the mill that turned left but now it’s time to turn it into the right hands and move it forward. We want a circular sustainable community in the space. A community should support each other as opposed to a top down or bottom up approach. It should be a more circular structure. We want to tell the community that this is for the community and it shouldn’t be just be for housing.”
Andrea said that the committee have been communicating regularly with elected members as well as the Chamber of Commerce who she said have been “supportive of our presentation. We have written to all our TDs too. We do need the support of the people to save the barracks,” she stressed.
LDA OWNERSHIP CONFIRMED
It was confirmed last week by Peter Burke, Minister of State with responsibility for Local Government and Planning that the LDA have taken ownership of the property.
“Our sub-committee has grown substantially in the last number of weeks. We need the voice and support of everyone,” Andrea continued. “The LDA are saying that they will have a public consultation when it comes to planning and design, but they still have authority to move in. We do not have an assembly space such as this in the whole midlands area. We want to have a place to turn over ideas and promote innovation in order to grow our generation to be the best version of ourselves we can be. If we put more houses in there with no structural amenities for those people, you are creating a ghetto.”
She said that the complex was originally built to create jobs and “protect our nation and educate.” It sustained itself inside its own walls so why can’t we still use that model but bring it into the modern world?” she asked.
It will still bring revenue, jobs and education. We can visualise a really amazing future for the barracks. Longford was awarded €13m to do the exact same thing. Mullingar has an immense amount of talent that is not being tapped into. People want to stay here and try and progress in their respective fields and should have the facilities to do that, she remarked.”
“USE IT LIKE CONNOLLY BARRACKS LONGFORD”
Ali Morris, who works for the St. Patrick’s Festival, is another passionate committee member, and she got involved last Summer after being taken by the beauty and history of the space.”I was actually looking for somewhere to do an event for the St Patrick’s Day Festival and was blown away by the whole site. As someone who works in events, I was immediately picturing a stage and lots of people and food trucks. There is also a chapel there which is perfect for talks and gigs. I met Helen Donnelly, chairperson of the committee and Skills Xchange Mullingar and joined the committee.”
Ali says that while there is a well-recognised housing crisis at present, other areas in the town have been earmarked as potential housing sites.” We have engaged with a lot of our local representatives and they have been supportive,” she stated.
She said that it is vital that WCC engage with the community in order to ascertain the best use for the space. “What we are proposing for the site is exactly what was successfully implemented at Connolly Barracks, Longford.”
She noted that committee members include an adult education organiser, architect, engineer, environmental scientists, web designer and other specialists. “What we are proposing will be worth a lot more in the long run than any housing. It would be a cultural space, provide employment and education as well as promote tourism. We want to let people know there are people fighting for the barracks and liaising with representatives on behalf of the groups there.”
Ali continued that in 2019, the Barracks was accepted by Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) as a member of the Sustainable Energy Communities (SEC) Network, which provides the group with a partnership agreement with SEAI, and the necessary help to establish a baseline Energy Master Plan (EMP). “If they can provide the site to the LDA for nothing then why can it not be given to the community? We have looked into it and there is a lot of funding there through the The Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) and other funds through Europe.”
She stressed that a large part of the proposal revolved around a “circular economy and sustainability centre”.
“The biggest challenge we face is climate change and we need a place to educate people about becoming more sustainable. It’s about moving our society into the
21st Century and having a space to do that. More than ever we need that place for safe congregation.”
She noted that back in 2012, when Columb Barracks closed, the County Council declined to take on the site due to a lack of funds after the crash, something she said was “understandable at the time. “
We wrote to Pat Gallagher and Mark Keaveney and have said that after the recession, there were no funds but there are now a variety of funds. There is billions of euro coming from Europe that is available. Longford, Athlone and Portlaoise have all received a few millions through the URDF for cultural quarters. Why can we not have that too? The only way things change is through people and that is what we are aiming to do.”
The committee had a “good meeting with Robert Troy” this week, and he informed them that he met with the LDA before Christmas and stressed that any future plans for the site needed to have input from the local community and that “it would not just be for housing. There would be space for education, culture, micro business.” He will continue to press for a public consultation and for the involvement of all stakeholders in the future of the Barracks, members were told.
Westmeath Topic also spoke with other committee members, Jack O’Sullivan, Louis Peppard and Helen Donnelly, also this week, and they have all fully supported the views articulated here by Ali and Andrea, and Helen said they do not intend to allow such a huge Mullingar asset to become a building site.
“We can’t allow this capital town to be dealt another serious blow on top of losing our Barracks, and all it meant, on top of downgrading the Railway Station, and St. Loman’s Hospital, the major Post Office services, the Race Course, the AIT when it was coming here, in town, and more, plus not getting any new industries for decades.”
Mullingar has to stand up for itself, otherwise it will be wiped out, “Helen said.
