Colliers International is looking for expressions of interest by April 18th to redevelop the former Connolly Barracks and a nearby vacant shopping centre in Longford town.

The prime brownfield site covers the 7.6 hectare former barracks and adjacent sites that include the vacant 10,000sq m (107,639sq ft) shopping centre. Colliers is acting on behalf of Longford County Council and has given the overall development the working title of Longford Northern Quarter.

Roger Hobkinson of Colliers says this part of Longford "offers the potential for a truly creative and exciting development project to emerge. Longford County Council is determined to tackle the challenges that many rural Irish towns are facing to help the town make a step change in its economic performance. We are open to considering a number of options and development approaches that help unlock these brownfield assets and bring them back into full sustainable use to contribute to the socio-economic growth of the town, county and midlands region. Perhaps a signature project focused on the Connolly Barracks might be a new 'ru-urban' hotel and event venue with a great events programme reflecting its centre of the island of Ireland location."

Soldiers

The last soldiers left Connolly Barracks in early 2009 after it was closed in a wave of cutbacks. Former taoiseach

Albert Reynolds

had said the barracks would close over his dead body but was “very sad” to see in closing. Connolly Barracks was purchased in 2012 by the local authorities from the

Department of Defence

.

Centre Parcs’ €232 million holiday village is planned to open a short distance outside the town in 2019.