A €5 million accommodation upgrade has been announced for Collins Barracks in Cork.
The refurbishment project will provide accommodation for more than 20 officers and is to complement a recently completed block to house enlisted personnel at the barracks.
Making the announcement, Minister for Defence Simon Harris said the development was “further evidence” of the Government’s commitment to invest in “modern, fit-for-purpose accommodation for our military personnel in all of our installations”.
The commitment, the Tánaiste said, was reflected in an allocation for capital projects this year of €50 million which, when taken together with the Defence Forces’ building maintenance and delegated minor projects, meant that the “overall building programme allocation stands at €62.5 million for this year”.
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New accommodation costing €4.5 million for up to another 41 soldiers undertaking training or living on-base was opened last year at the barracks.
The rooms are spread over three floors and six wings – organised into four-person dormitories and single en-suite rooms.
As the existing accommodation block in Collins Barracks was constructed around 1806 and substantially repaired following a fire in 1922, refurbishment is now required, consisting of internal and external building fabric upgrades.
The block is listed as a building of “regional importance” in the architectural, historical and social categories on the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
Refurbishment will include extensive works, all of which will ensure the structure and fabric of the building are preserved.
In addition, the newly refurbished building will provide a modern, fit-for-purpose accommodation block with an improved energy performance and modern fire-protection measures.
