The contract for the appointment of the Integrated Design Team for the Nenagh Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Energy (SECOE – Ireland) was signed on Thursday 30th May 2024. The Integrated Design Team is led by Henry J Lyons Architects who are committed to putting sustainability at the heart of their projects and have assembled a team of experts covering the disciplines of Civil & Structural Engineering, Building Services - MEP, Quantity Surveyors, Conservation, Landscape Architects, Fire Safety, Disability Access, Sustainability/LEED, Heritage and Archaeology, Environmental & Ecology and Façade Consultant.
Henry J Lyons has a track record for delivering emblematic public projects such as the Central Bank; a wide range of low-carbon neighbourhoods including Dublin Docklands, Cork and Limerick; nine LEED platinum plus twelve LEED Gold buildings in Ireland and significant public realm improvements including Central Plaza and Cardiff Lane.
The project, to be located at Martyr’s Road Nenagh, was provisionally allocated €9.525 million funding under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) from the Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage. The project is led by Tipperary County Council in partnership with the Tipperary Energy Agency, North Tipperary Development Company, the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS), Community Power and Siga Limited.
This project will develop a Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Energy which will be the anchor and catalyst for the redevelopment of the Martyr’s Road Regeneration Quarter. The Centre of Excellence will host a range of public agencies working collaboratively to deliver innovation solutions from training and development, to new cutting-edge research on technologies, to incubating low-carbon social enterprises. It will also deliver public infrastructure, civic spaces and public realm enhancement and will consolidate the linkages to the town centre and unlock the potential for the overall area.
The Cathaoirleach of Tipperary County Council, Cllr. Ger Darcy, said “this project epitomises the commitment of Tipperary County Council to deliver on the objectives of the Climate Action Plan in reducing our carbon footprint and meeting global energy targets. This is an innovative proposal which will be transformational for Nenagh and for Tipperary.”
The Cathaoirleach of Nenagh Municipal District, Cllr. John ‘Rocky’ McGrath, also welcomed the signing of the contract saying “the Centre of Excellence will make a significant contribution to Nenagh and District in terms of employment and will generate a return to the local economy. I congratulate all those involved and look forward to the delivery of this project which will make a real difference to Martyr’s Road, to Nenagh and to the whole Region”.
Chief Executive of Tipperary County Council, Mr. Joe MacGrath said that the development of the Centre of Excellence will be a pioneering project for the Southern Region and was identified as a priority under the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy (RSES). He said “The project will facilitate Nenagh to fulfil its role as a regional economic driver and will support and attract future population growth and investment. It will also be a pathway for other towns in how they can move towards low carbon urban centres”. Noting that this would be his final contract signing on behalf of Tipperary County Council prior to his retirement, he said “We are delighted to have secured the services of such an experienced Design Team and I wish the partners and the Design Team every success in the delivery of this project”.
In total the project will represent an investment of €12.7 million in Nenagh.
