A two and a half year project costing €27m will come into fruition at New Road, Ennis this Wednesday when Clare County Council’s new corporate headquarters opens for business.

To facilitate the relocation to Àras Contae an Chlàir, all county councils' offices in Ennis will remain closed to the public today and tomorrow.

The completed facility will provide accommodation for 300 staff, as well as meeting rooms, staff canteen, laboratory, mayor's office, and council chamber and three party rooms for the elected members. 320 car parking spaces are provided at the rear of the building.

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The corporate headquarters building incorporates a number of environmentally friendly measures and will operate as a naturally ventilated building. Some solar panels and a wood chip heating system have been installed. Following a tender process, Clare Wood Chip of Flagmount has been selected to supply the wood chip for the building.

Sections of the council were relocated to several sites around Ennis when the old offices on the New Road site were vacated in mid 2005.

Following a tender process that generated a lot of interest from many of the country’s larger developers, the firm of Michael McNamara & Co. Building Contractors was chosen as the preferred option to design, build and finance the provision of the new building.

The contractors commenced work in January 2006. The first phase of the works involved the construction of a machinery yard headquarters at Beechpark on the R474 Ennis-Kilmaley Road. Work on the construction of the new headquarters has continued since the new yard was completed in May 2006.

(JM)