THRIVE – The Town Centre First Heritage Revival Scheme
THRIVE is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union under the Northern and Western Regional Programme 2021-27.
‘REVIVAL OF THE COURTHOUSE’ PROJECT LETTERKENNY
In March 2024, Donegal County Council was awarded €199,969k in THRIVE funding by the Northern and Western Regional Assembly through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Northern and Western Regional Programme 2021-2027 for the ‘Revival at the Courthouse’ Project in Letterkenny.
THRIVE is a ‘Town Centre First Heritage Revival Scheme’, which falls under Ireland’s two European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Regional Programmes, to provide €120 million across the local authorities and their citizens to re-imagine town centres and to transform publicly owned vacant or derelict heritage buildings within those town centres through renovation, renewal, and adaptive reuse. THRIVE is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the ERDF Northern and Western Regional Programme 2021-27.
This Town Centre First Heritage Revival Scheme targets towns and regional growth centres seeking to transform publicly owned vacant or derelict heritage buildings within those town centres through renovation, renewal, and adaptive reuse. In County Donegal, Letterkenny is the only eligible town that qualifies for this fund. The former courthouse building in Letterkenny being a publicly owned, vacant and historic building is eligible to apply for the THRIVE scheme. As such, Donegal County Council secured €199,969 in March 2024 under Strand 1 of the THRIVE fund, to develop a shovel-ready capital investment project for the renewal and revival of this the former courthouse building. The Strand 1 Award, supported the preparation and submission of a further funding application under THRIVE Strand 2, submitted in May 2025 for €7million. This was a competitive bid, made against other eligible Local Authorities within the Northern and Western Region.
With the funds awarded under Strand 1, and to support the Strand 2 funding application, Donegal County Council appointed a heritage/architectural-led, multi-disciplinary design team (Robin Lee Architecture) to plan and project develop the imaginative re-adaptative reuse of the former courthouse building. This ‘Revival at the Courthouse’ Project forms one of 15 regeneration projects identified for delivery within the already completed Integrated Urban Regeneration Strategy for Letterkenny, entitled the ‘Letterkenny 2040 Regeneration Strategy (LKY 2040).
Over the past year, Donegal County Council has worked with Letterkenny communities to strengthen and expand citizen and stakeholder engagement which informed and co-designed the production of the collaborative Letterkenny 2040 Strategy in 2022. The Strategy identifies the building for a tourism led end use to meet the needs of visitors and the local community across themes of culture, place, environment, climate and learning. Citizen engagement to date has explored the building’s potential for ancillary/dual use of spaces for community/cultural activities. In implementing this THRIVE project, Donegal County Council has embraced the values and working principles of the New European Bauhaus, an initiative of the European Union, which aims to ensure strategies and projects are sustainable, aesthetically pleasing, inclusive and accessible. The ‘Revival of the Courthouse’ Project will build on previous engagement opportunities for citizens, communities and stakeholders to have their say in on the plans to develop of this publicly owned historic and vacant building in Donegal’s strategic settlement and help to co-design the project to secure Part 8 planning consent.
Following several successful public consultation drop-in events inside the Old Courthouse Building, including collaborative workshops with other stakeholders such as ATU and Letterkenny CDP, we met with many individuals and community groups to explore a series of design options and potential end uses for the building. This subsequently shaped the recent publication by Donegal County Council of a Part 8 planning proposal on Thursday 20th March which was subsequently approved by at a plenary meeting in May 2025. The proposed plans incorporated some compatible tourism and community-based themes arising from the various consultation events into the final design for this great heritage building.
Specifically, the Part 8 Approval (facilitated by THRIVE Strand 1) now secures:
1. The retention, retrofit, adaptation and extension of this vacant, protected heritage asset, using a heritage-led approach whilst implementing the Value and Principles of the EU’s New European Bauhaus.
2. The transformation of the building to provide a flexible space with multi-functional capacity to include:
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- An immersive and interactive visitor attraction and an integrated (relocated) Tourism Information Point.
- A flexible space for interpretation, exhibition, conferences, edu-tainment, education & learning.
- A multi-purpose space for civic, cultural and community uses.
- An ancillary café and retail space (including gift shop).
- Ancillary office space, storage, public convenience (with a ‘Changing Places’ venue).
- Associated public realm improvements and ancillary works including connection to utilities and services, new public lighting, landscaping, signage and public art.
Click here to view all plans, drawings and supporting information relation to this Part 8 Proposal: https://planning.localgov.ie/en/part-8/application/f58a1fd6-fb3d-11ef-8d01-39390d3d7aac
For more information on the Letterkenny 2040 Regeneration Strategy and Masterplan, please visit: https://www.letterkenny2040.ie/
For more information on THRIVE in the North West Region, please visit: https://www.nwra.ie/thrive/
For more information on the Revival of the Courthouse Project, please contact: regeneration@donegalcoco.ie
