Tipperary County Council appointment welcomed by Cllr Annemarie Ryan

A move by Tipperary County Council to appoint an inhouse Conservation Architect has been welcomed by Cllr Annemarie Ryan.

"We ran a vacant property owners workshop late '22 and the feedback showed the need for technical supports and expertise such as those provided by a conservation architect.

We now have that expertise within the local authority.

I've been pushing for this for the last three years and I really hope this will help in the restoration and reuse of some of our beautiful buildings in Tipperary town and hinterlands, including those owned by Tipperary County Council.

Tipperary is full of beautiful protected structures that make our towns and villages unique places, but that can sometimes be seen as a hindrance as they can be difficult / expensive to maintain or reuse. However, when they are sensitively restored you can see the value in that it enhances public realm, increases town centre footfall and provides badly needed homes as well as commercial spaces. Take for instance Tipperary Town Glove Factory and The Irish House that have both been recently and beautifully renovated. Both buildings were renovated under the guidance of conservation engineers/architects.

One of the important roles of a Conservation Architect is to provide advice to owners and occupiers of structures included in a Record of Protected Structures on good practice in the conservation of such structures, on the availability of assistance, including financial assistance, for such conservation.

I want to say a special thanks to Alison Harvey (Collaborative Town Centre Health Check) who opened my eyes to the value in our built heritage. If you are a vacant property owner and are interested in bringing your property back into use please get in touch," said Cllr Ryan.