Tuath pressing ahead with housing plan on Marist grounds

Housing agency Tuath is pressing ahead with what it describes as a “compatible living apartment scheme” on the grounds of Athlone's Marist College with a view to lodging a planning application in the first quarter of next year.

A spokesperson confirmed to the Westmeath Independent this week that an Integrated Design Team has been appointed for the housing scheme, with MRL Architects, in Co Down named as the lead consultants for the project.

Back in February of 2020, Tuath's ambitious plans to convert a fire-damaged building on the grounds of Athlone's Marist College into a €6 million housing scheme first emerged when the housing agency published a tender seeking design consultancy services for the project for what a spokesperson believes will be circa 45 one-and two-bedroom units between the existing building and a newly constructed building.

The project will involve the conversion of the existing Our Lady's Hermitage building which was damaged in a major fire in 2018 into housing units along with a new premises.

Tuath, a voluntary housing association set up in 2000, said in the tender documents last year that a communal outdoor area and a day services centre would be provided with a separate entrance from the neighbouring secondary school.

Giving an update on the project this week, a Tuath spokesperson said: “The project is currently in the initial design development stage of a compatible living apartment scheme (elderly and those with similar needs) with a view to submitting a planning application in Q1 of 2022.”

The old school building, known as Our Lady's Hermitage, is described in the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH) as a “detached three-storey over-basement house, built circa 1810”.

The former dwelling was converted to a secondary school circa 1900, when a three-storey Gothic-style basement extension was added. The latest renovation of the building was in 1945.

While the protected structure has had a number of uses since then, it had been vacant for a number of years before it was damaged by a major fire in March 2018.

Following that, the Marist Brothers applied for permission to repair the damage caused to the building, including the fitting of new timber windows and reconstruction of floors, roof and walls of the premises.

As reported by the Westmeath Independent in early January of 2020, this planning application also referred to a potential proposal by Tuath to convert the entire former boarding school to housing units.

Tuath's proposal as revealed in the tender documents last year includes the demolition of changing rooms, as well as various sheds, handball alleys and other secondary buildings. Most of the car park would be moved away from the building, and a second 'bypass' road constructed for school traffic.

A boundary would be created to clearly mark the housing development as separate from school lands.