Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)

I thank Deputy McFadden for raising this matter. I am aware of her deep commitment and interest in cultural tourism and the arts, including amateur drama. I agree with her that this is indeed a most worthwhile proposal and I appreciate the opportunity to clarify the position in so far as my Department's involvement is concerned. We are all in agreement that the project should proceed as quickly as possible and that it will be a valuable addition to Athlone's arts and heritage portfolio.

As the Deputy outlined, Athlone Town Council is developing a visitor centre within the bounds of Athlone Castle. An application for consent for the visitor centre, made on behalf of Athlone Town Council under section 14 of the National Monuments Act 1930, is being dealt with by my Department's National Monuments Service. Athlone Castle is a national monument owned by the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and, hence, my consent as Minister is required under the Act to any planned works that might impact on the castle itself. Clearly the visitor centre falls within that framework.

The proposal, of course, also needs planning permission and Athlone Town Council has already completed the Part 8 planning process. The then named Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government - the responsible Department at the time - was consulted in connection with the Part 8 process and provided its observations to the council in May 2010. The Department raised no objections but asked that the proposed works should be overseen by an archaeologist and advised that ministerial consent would also be needed under the National Monuments Acts 1930-2004 on the basis I have outlined. These are routine requirements that would form part and parcel of the Department's response to any planning application relating to a national monument.

The application for consent under the National Monuments Acts was subsequently submitted to my Department on 16 August 2011. The Department immediately referred the application for observations to the director of the National Museum of Ireland, who is a statutory consultee under the National Monuments Acts 1930-2004, and also to the Office of Public Works in light of the castle being in State ownership. Neither body has raised any objection to the proposal. In the meantime, my Department has written, our letter issued on 16 September 2011, to the archaeologist who lodged the consent application on behalf of the town council asking for an archaeological impact assessment in respect of the proposed works. Again this is a routine requirement associated with the consent process and would have to be furnished in all such cases.

The objective of an archaeological assessment is to verify that the approaches to preservation in situ and preservation by record of archaeological material will be applied appropriately to the particular development. By helping to ensure development projects are organised from the outset in such a way as to avoid or minimise archaeological impact, archaeological assessment can eliminate or reduce costs and delays that could otherwise arise along the way. The archaeological assessment is, therefore, a most valuable tool that will help the developer to resolve potential pitfalls in advance, rather than having to deal with delays and associated expense after the contractor has started work.

From what I know of this proposal I believe it will become a valuable attraction for tourism in the midlands, for promoting Athlone's heritage and a wonderful amenity for the people of the town. It is the type of venture I encourage other local authorities also to become involved in. Indeed it will nicely complement the redevelopment of the adjacent Fr. Matthew Hall as an art gallery for which funding has been provided by my Department. We must be mindful that great care is needed to ensure the integrity of a structure like Athlone Castle, the oldest part of which dates back to the beginning of the thirteenth century, is properly safeguarded for future generations. To do otherwise would be to damage irredeemably its legacy and undermine the very project we are seeking to promote. Nevertheless, it will be apparent from what I have said that my Department has at all times acted speedily and positively in this case and we will continue to do so. The Deputy can, therefore, be assured that once the archaeological impact assessment is received in the Department it will be looked at immediately with a view to a decision on the consent application being made as soon as possible afterwards.

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