Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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71. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his plans to bring a landmark site (details supplied) back into use and open to the public to draw much needed tourism to Drogheda town centre; if a financial assessment has been undertaken to ascertain the overall cost to bring the landmark back into use; if so, the cost; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25903/20]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Office of Public Works has, for several years, made public access to St. Laurence's Gate available by special arrangement and the building has been opened previously during Heritage Week, Fleadh Ceol etc. However, opening the site on a more permanent basis is dependent on the successful resolution of two major issues in particular which must be addressed in sequence:

1. The need to resolve the multiple serious structural issues the building has currently. (A conservation project of considerable proportions would have to be planned and executed before any long-term plans for future visitor access can be developed.)

2. The need to design a visitor management solution to get safe access to the interior of what is an extremely cramped and confined space in a way that is sustainable and enjoyable for visitors. (In this regard, it should be noted that the Gate can only admit a limited number of people at any one time and is unlikely therefore to be a high visitor volume proposition.)

The conservation works needed to rectify the fabric issues are the most immediate issue and planning for this is ongoing as quickly as feasible within the OPW's resource constraints. Although a structural report has been prepared which indicates clearly the problems that have to be addressed, no cost estimates have as yet been developed however. The bulk of the work on projects such as this would, in any event, be carried out by the OPW's own skilled directly-employed labour force, so the additional project expenses can be expected to cost relatively less.

In regard to the visitor proposition, it is at this stage not clear that the OPW would be in a position to operate the site itself and it may be the case that another locally-based community presentation model, such as that developed at Carlingford Castle most recently, may be suitable. The OPW has engaged with the Local Authority to see if this is feasible but no solutions have yet emerged.