Market House Castlepollard

Welcome for confirmation that tender process to begin for Castlepollard Market House redevelopment plans

Market House Castlepollard

Published: Sun 14 Jun 2026, 3:00 PM

The long-awaited redevelopment of the Market House in Castlepollard was set to move to tender stage within days, councillors were told at the May meeting of the Municipal District of Mullingar Kinnegad.

In response to a question from Cllr Alfie Devine, the district stated that the Regeneration and Capital Delivery Team confirmed that approval has been received from the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht to begin procuring contractors for the renovation and development project.

Officials said tender documents were currently undergoing final checks, and that procurement expected to commence before the end of May.

Welcoming the update, Cllr Devine described the development as “fantastic news” after several years of work to bring the project forward.

“This has been ongoing for probably three, four, five years,” he said.

The councillor said significant progress had been made over the past two years to move the scheme forward and said the refurbishment would represent a major boost for Castlepollard town centre and surrounding communities.

“It’ll be a massive improvement for the square at Castlepollard and the old Market House rejuvenated to what it was originally, and being used for public use,” he said.

Road resurfacing

Separately, Cllr Devine sought assurances that road resurfacing projects planned for 2026 had not been postponed because of rising construction costs.

The district office said no decision has been made to reduce the number of resurfacing schemes planned under the 2026 transportation works programme, although officials confirmed that project costs are being closely monitored because of inflationary pressures.

The councillor also raised concerns about grass cutting at lakeshore amenities near Derravaragh Lake at Gartlandstown.

Council officials said grass cutting in the area is carried out as part of verge maintenance works along the R394 and generally takes place two to three times during the season.

However, Cllr Devine argued that additional cuts may be needed to maintain the amenity to a higher standard, particularly during busy periods.

“If you could get it cut maybe once or twice more, it’d be a huge difference,” he said.