Manor House in Bagenalstown gets more time for renovations

RENOVATIONS to a 25-unit apartment block in Bagenalstown town centre will continue after the contractors received an extension of duration to the planning permission from Carlow Co Council.

The three-storey building currently contains 20 apartments leased individually to the local authority until 2040. Five apartments, including four one-bed apartments and one two-bed apartment, will be converted from the former bar and storage spaces. The work began in February of this year and the contractors said they expect the work to be completed by September.

Permission to transform The Manor House bar and restaurant into five additional apartment units, to complement 20 existing apartments in the building, was granted to Celtic Social Housing Capital Ltd in January 2020.

However, a report from the architect details how the renovations were affected by Covid-19, which ‘created uncertainty within the construction sector, disrupted supply chains, affected labour availability and led to instability in financial markets.’ Contractors BHA Construction Ltd have since taken over responsibility for the development and it appears that it remains in the ownership of BL Anvil Management Services Ltd.

What was originally built as a hotel was renovated into apartments in 2014 using foreign direct investment arranged by businessman Jim O’Neill. It was heralded as a first-of-its kind housing initiative, which would encourage people to live in the centre of Bagenalstown.

Rather than buying the building outright, the council secured a lease on the apartments from the management company for a period of 25 years, after which it would become owner of the property. 

Since people moved in, there have been a myriad of reports detailing anti-social behaviour, flooding and poor living conditions in the building.