Earl House in Earl Street
The former National Irish Bank branch on Earl Street could be set for a new occupier after a planning application to develop the building was granted by Dundalk Town Council last week.
Earl House at 13-14 Earl Street has been idle since the bank closed on December 17th 2010.
However, Barla Ltd Partnership were last week granted planning permission to develop the 0.136 hectare site, which has frontage and access from the Market Square.
The plans include a new design and façade to the front (east) elevation of the existing building, including a new shopfront and new upper level signage to read “Earl House”.
According to the plans submitted by Van Dijk Architects, “it is in our client’s desire to bring this building back, to breathe new life into this building and onto the street itself.
“It is felt that more than a simple ‘fact lift’ is required to help this building achieve its full potential.
“It is intended here to remove the existing vertical concrete ribs and express more of a horizontal geometry. The ground floor will be opened by removing unnecessary walls/columns and adding as much glass as possible, this will promote more visual interaction with the street.
“The upper floors accommodate a different use and we would like to express this in a rectilinear fashion. The upper façade is broken to have a main vertical element at the circulation core to the northern side. Also we wanted to suggest something of the traditional character of the neighbourhood buildings through the use of a projecting fenestration detail which will break up the zone of glazing on each of the upper floors. Materials being considered are natural stone with contrasting colours or acrylic renders.”
It is not yet known what business, if any, is lined up for the store but a proposed facelift would certainly increase the building’s attractiveness and give Earl Street a much-needed lift.
An architect’s impression of plans for Earl House
