Council identify site for new €3m heritage centre

THE planned €3m Tallaght Heritage Centre will be located adjacent to the Civic Theatre and will form part of a wider ‘cultural quarter’ in the centre of Tallaght, South Dublin County Council has revealed.

The cultural quarter currently incorporates the Civic Theatre, Rua Red – the South Dublin Arts Centre, the County Library and the new civic plaza.

The proposed heritage centre will be well-served by public transport due to its location close to Tallaght Luas stop and a number of bus routes.

A council spokesperson told The Echo: “The delivery of the heritage centre at this location will also compliment current investment of over €80m in other infrastructure projects underway in the area, such as the delivery of a new innovation centre, the completion of Tallaght Stadium bringing it to 10,000-seater capacity, major public realm enhancement, a new affordable rental housing scheme and the District Heating project.

“As well as identifying the location for the heritage centre, South Dublin County Council has also appointed interpretative consultants to develop the visitor attraction’s heritage themes, storylines and their visual presentation.

“Now that the location has been agreed by the elected members, consultant architects will be appointed to design the building in the coming weeks.”

The heritage centre development went out to tender last month, with the council stating they were seeking a framework for the “interpretative planning, facilitation and exhibition of South Dublin’s heritage to create a visitor experience in a new Tallaght Heritage Centre”.

The topic of a heritage centre documenting the history of Tallaght and its ancient heritage has been discussed several times in recent years.

Tallaght Community Council (TCC) and the Tallaght Historical Society have been pushing for a heritage centre in the area for several years, and back in 2015 TCC lodged an unsuccessful submission for a museum in Tallaght on the council’s County Development Plan 2016-2021.

TCC then lodged another submission calling for a museum in the locality in the Tallaght Town Centre Local Area Plan in 2020.

Fianna Fáil councillor Teresa Costello tabled a motion about developing a museum in Tallaght at a council meeting in early 2020, which was supported by the majority of her colleagues – and it is now a formal objective of the Local Area Plan.