Planning permission for the refurbishment of the old library in Shop Street, Tuam, has been granted by the Galway County Council. The refurbishment represents an investment of €1.5 million in the building.
The Office of Public Works will carry out the refurbishment on behalf of the Department of Social Protection. The grant of permission will also allow the tender process to begin. The project was delayed because of a legal query about the previous planning application.
After the refurbishment works are complete, the building will be leased to the Department of Social Protection as an Intreo office and will bring together all social welfare services. Intreo is a service from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. It is a single point of contact for all employment and income supports, in order to provide a more streamlined approach.
The grant of permission has been welcomed by Galway East TD, and Minister of State for Rural and Community Development, Sean Canney. "The refurbishment will effectively open up a public building at the centre of Tuam," he said. "In my role as Minister of State in the Office of Public Works, I pushed for this project to be completed and I welcome that it is now back on track."
