Historic Mill site beefs up security with CCTV system
By Maurice Garvey
A MONITORED CCTV camera system is set to be rolled out at Kilmainham Mill this week by Dublin City Council.
DCC purchased the mill buildings for heritage purposes last year, and round-the-clock security was installed in December.
Kilmainham Mill could be a major tourist attraction
The purchase of the vacant site followed a long campaign by local residents and the Save Kilmainham Mills group, who feel the mill, which was built in 1820 and in use up until 2000, could become an important tourist attraction.
A steering group established by DCC is looking at the possibility of the site as a stand-alone facility, but also linking it in with the likes of Kilmainham Gaol, Richmond Barracks and the Royal Kilmainham Hospital.
Speaking at the Dublin South Central area meeting last week, Darragh Cunningham, Project Manager of the Kilmainham Mill, said they made the decision to install manned security at the site “24/7 since December 10”.
“We felt it was prudent for security issues with regard to the site being vacant. We are now moving to a monitored camera system with an audio overlay.”
Mr Cunningham said the monitored system is being tested and due to be rolled out this week.
A number of health and safety issues facing the council when taking over the site included plumbing, electrical, overgrown weeding and foliage, a mains water leak, and discovery of Japanese Knotweed.
Structural engineers have been on-site to assess the buildings (11 in total, including outhouses) and land.
“One of the biggest things we have done over the last couple of months is to apply for a Historical Structures Fund grant,” said Mr Cunningham.
“This is essentially safeguarding the past and the future of the site. We have applied for €200k, as part of a €551k initial investment. Essentially for emergency stabilisation works only, propping up floors, re-slating of roofs, we are going to try be as clever as we can with regard to the history of the site, re-claiming slates from other parts of the roof that might be re-purposed.”
Mr Cunningham said the big question on everyone’s lips was what they plan to do with the site.
“At the moment we are quite unsure. We have some site visits booked for a steering group over the coming weeks, and from there we will go with a mechanism for consultation with regards to devising a plan for future use.”
The steering group is engaging with local residents regarding the project works.
The mill site’s original owner, Damian Shine, obtained planning permission for 44 apartments in 2006, but it ended up in NAMA due to the property crash.
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