Down District Council is set to relocate its headquarters at the end of this summer to a redeveloped state of the art historic building at the Downshire Estate on the Ardglass Road, Downpatrick.

Formerly known as the Downshire Hospital, the renovated and extended building will be the site from which Council administrative services will operate.

The new office facilities will also include additional office space, accommodation for the Housing Executive and state of the art training facilities which will be available to existing and new users of the Council offices.

Down District Council Chairperson, Cllr Mickey Coogan visited the new offices on Friday 6 July along with fellow Councillors and commented: "Work is progressing well at the new Downshire Civic Centre. Over the past few months we having been working to ensure that our plans for the new offices in Downpatrick are continuing to progress and we remain confident that we will complete 'The Big Move' in less than three months time."

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Cllr Coogan continued: "This project is vitally important to the citizens of Down district as our plans to create a community campus on the Downshire site in Downpatrick, I believe, will be key to retaining public sector employment and quality public services within the district. To date, the project has provided much needed employment in our district, as construction workers have been working on the site for almost two years. This project has been a major boost for the Down district area, bringing new jobs followed by modern, accessible facilities and potential future investment.

"The opening of a new civic centre in the heart of the historic town of Down demonstrates how Downpatrick continues to deliver on its tremendous potential. Over the past few years, the County town has benefited from a number of new landmark developments and this is the latest step in the Council's commitment to attract new businesses to the district and make it a dynamic, exciting and vibrant place to live, work and visit."

O'Hare & McGovern, the construction division of Newry based Carnbane House Group won the contract for the construction works in 2011. They have been making steady progress on the project. Eamon O’Hare, Managing Director, O Hare & McGovern said: "We are delighted to be working with Down District Council on the construction phase of the Down Administration Centre. This project is due for completion late summer and will provide state of the art facilities in the Down district. Downshire House is a wonderful example of our rich architectural heritage and we are honoured to be tasked not only with its restoration but the creation of a matching extension. The mix of old and new will allow the building to retain its history and character while providing excellent facilities for the Council."

(CD/GK)