BREAKING: Update on Roscrea 'community hotel' report publication

A hotel in the centre of Roscrea town which closed over a decade ago has been the subject of a study into the possibility of reopening the doors for business and the much anticipated result will be published soon.

A decision on if the former Grant's Hotel on Castle Street in Roscrea is viable to be rejuvenated and operated under a unique 'community hotel' model is expected this month, after the results of a feasibility study costing €150,000 were due to be published in February.

Tipperary County Council are sitting in Nenagh this morning for their May monthly meeting, where Councillor Shane Lee asked for an update on when the results will be released.

The Roscrea based Lowry Team member and Independent Councillor, said he is "being inundated" with calls from people in Roscrea curious about when they will learn what the future holds for the widely known hotel.

The 24 bedroom Grant's Hotel, which was once the Pathé Hotel and later rebranded as the Damer Court Hotel, closed 11 years ago after playing a central role in the lives of generations of people from Roscrea and beyond.

The government made €150,000 available for a study into whether the disused hotel has potential as a community operated business and the results of that study are expected this month.

A commitment was made in principle to purchase the former Grant's Hotel following protests around the conversion of the town's only functioning hotel into accommodation for international protection applicants.

After the closure of the Racket Hall Hotel in January of last year, the closed hotel in the centre of the town was thrust into the national spotlight after local Fianna Fáil Councillor Michael Smith, and now retired TD Jackie Cahill, proposed the government purchase the building and return it to work as a hospitality business - but under a unique community based model similar to a successful enterprise currently operating in county Monaghan.

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Shane Grogan from the local authority's planning department, said the Council has received the first draft of the report from the consultants and expect the final document to be released in "two to three weeks".

He said minor changes to the language used in the report are necessary before publication and the document is very detailed and is over 100 pages long.

Mr. Grogan said a publication date will be confirmed and described the report as "a  very important document for Roscrea and we want to ensure everything is right before we release it".