This is an artist’s impression of how the new Áras Phádraig sire in Killarney will look in the future.
The prime property, on Lewis Road, is to be developed as a community theatre and public plaza with a primary care centre, operated by the HSE, alongside.
Plans to also incorporate a multi-storey car park on the site have now been shelved in favour of the Lower Beech Road car park off New Street.
Urban Regeneration and Development Fund funding approval has already been received for the regeneration of the Aras Phádraig.
The theatre will be located on the College Street side of the site and the six-storey primary care building will be towards the Fitzgerald Stadium end of the property.
The plans were presented at a meeting of Killarney Municipal District Council this Tuesday afternoon and the planning process will now be initiated.
The Franciscan friars donated the 2,623sq m Áras Phádraig complex – including an old-style theatre – to the town in 2009 but a legal hitch and complications with the Charities Regulator resulted in the building being off-limits for the best part of 15 years.
The application for funding to prepare a masterplan for the site, under the urban Regeneration Development Fund, was successful and Kerry County Council appointed engineer David Doyle to oversee the project.
A business plan, completed in 2017 by Exodea Consulting, recommended the development of a new integrated multi-purpose facility on the existing Lewis Road site.
At that time it was envisaged that the core components of the proposed multi-use facility would include:
- A contemporary arts and 300-seat theatre space with rehearsal, exhibition and gallery facilities
- Meeting rooms to be available for a range of community uses
- An educational space to accommodate the provision of training and skills courses
- Office space to suit the particular needs of Killarney town
A key recommendation in the business plan was that any new facility should be financially self-sustaining and remain in the ownership of Kerry County Council.
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