Roscrea is to be home to a state of the art €2.5 million enterprise and community hub, which could create up to 192 jobs over the space of three years.
It’s being developed by North Tipperary Development and property investment and management company Tiernan Properties.
The Roscrea Enterprise and Community Hub will be focussed on education and learning and will have an estimated economic benefit of €8 million per year.
The former shopping centre unit, which will become home to REACH, has been vacant since 2011.
75% of the funding came from the Rural Regeneration Development Fund, while Tipperary County Council ratified a €225,000 contribution.
CEO of North Tipperary Development Company, Michael Murray says Roscrea is a proud town with a lot of potential, but, regrettably, the town and hinterland suffer from multi-faceted disadvantage.
He says it’s clear that not alone is an intervention needed for the town but that education must be at its core. The North Tipp Development Company believes that REACH can be the difference and will act as a catalyst for the recovery that is long overdue in Roscrea.
It is estimated that 500 learners a year will benefit from the hub.
Planning permission and a lease agreement for the property are in place and the project will have a climate change element, with the carbon cost set to be reduced by having a local work base for commuters and remote workers.
The project is also set to cost 60% less than it would to develop it on a new or green field site, as the site is being repurposed.
