RESTART: Belturbet Community Enterprise and Tourism Hub

Delivery Lead: Cavan County Council

Belturbet Community Enterprise and Tourism Hub

The project will provide a new town centre community hub in a vacant building that has been acquired by Cavan County Council for the purpose of developing it into a community & enterprise hub bringing life and business back into the town centre. The building overall is very substantial, and it stretches back from the Main Street by a considerable distance to Patrick Street. The middle section of the building will provide Hot Desk rooms, multi purpose meeting and conference facilities, primarily for the provision of essential local social services. The front part of the building facing on to Main Street will be developed on the ground floor as a multi-purpose Youth Space with Rehearsal, Gallery and Art Space. These services will be delivered by Youth Work Ireland and CMETB. On the first floor it is intended to provide remote working office space.

Site Selection

A number of site options were considered during the planning process, which included the holding of a number public consultation events in Dec 2023, with the project selling on the town centre location option. Outcomes from the process identified a strong need for increased youth facilities in Belturbet adding much needed space for educational, training, art, cultural rehearsal & exhibition spaces. This project will add Arts space with a particular focus on promoting & encouraging Youth participation. It will also provide a hub for social interaction through work & learning, thus improving social & mental health and well-being. In addition, there is a strong need for office working space for social services and office accommodation in the town centre. The project will bring together in a shared space young people from all backgrounds and promote integration on a cross-community bases and between newer arrived residents and established residents.

Building Vacancy & Dereliction Study

A vacancy study was carried out with the aid of local knowledge, unoccupied buildings are indicated on  the map in brown. The study helped understand the opportunities within the town core, along Main Street and Bridge Street, to rejuvenate, restore, and renew existing properties to address the needs of the community. This study, along with emerging feedback from the Public Consultation, indicated the need for additional community, enterprise and tourism along the MainStreet of Belturbet.