Work is well underway on historic buildings in Co Tyrone that are being redeveloped in a major £5.5m refurbishment.

The 'Old Belfast Bank' in Market Square, Dungannon and the landscaping of Castle Hill jointly represent an investment to provide an arts centre and interpretative display in the 'bank' now known as Ranfurly House.

The development of a public heritage park on the site of the O'Neill stronghold on Castle Hill is also in hand.

Many construction jobs have been created as builders, David Patton & Sons NI Ltd moved on site two months ago for the new extension to Ranfurly House, a site that became available for development in 2003 when the PSNI vacated the security presence in the old Territorial Army Building.

Work commenced with the acquisition of the site and the sourcing of capital grants towards the cost of making the site a premier location for visitors to the region and conserving the unique heritage of the landscape and the building.

In 2007, funding of £2.38m was secured from the Heritage Lottery Fund and a further £500k was sourced from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland to develop a purpose built Arts Centre.

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The Council's strategy has been to provide a gateway to the hill and create investment confidence in the Market Square as the focal point for visitors and business.

The facility, when complete, will complement the proposed public realm scheme for Market Square funded by the Department of Social Development.

The work of designing an appropriate extension to the old Bank Building and the landscaping of the hill was given to Consarc, a Belfast-based firm of architects, who presented the Council with an exciting concept.

The concept is now about to come to fruition in the form of an iconic building for the town centre and a public park worthy of the significance of this historic site and thee contract awarded to Pattons, the Ballymena based construction firm.

It is proposed that a variety of activities will be available in the building that will also provide an enclosed access route from the town up to the towers on the hill and the Castle Hill gardens beyond.

Galleries and exhibition spaces are set to tell the story of Castle Hill and its associations with the history of the O'Neill's, and a 100-seater studio for small scale performance will also offer a large flexible space for arts workshops/flexible community facilities.

At Castle Hill Gardens, the remaining towers of the Knox Hannygton residence - built in 1790 - are regarded as a Scheduled Monument.

It is thought that the original house is built close to the castle of the O'Neill's, former rulers of Ulster whose powerbase was in Dungannon for some 300 years.

It is the Council's intention to provide access for everyone to this special site, creating an informal parkland setting to allow the resident's of Dungannon open access to the historic towers, appreciate the significance of the hill and its panoramic views out, as well as space to relax and re-connect with nature in the heart of the town.

Due to the historical significance of the site, the proposed works at Ranfurly House and to Castle Hill will require close co-ordination with through archaeological monitoring and excavation as appropriate.

(BMcC/GK)