Case Study for the Reuse of Protected Structures and Heritage Buildings in Callan, Co. Kilkenny

Tender description

To explore the cost-effectiveness of the adaptive reuse of historic urban buildings for ex ante financial evaluation purposes, by carrying out a comparative assessment of residential development, using an ecological economics approach that includes the wider social, environmental and cultural value(s) in the assessment of regeneration proposals. Taking into account the Town Centre Living Initiative: Six Pilot Towns: Synthesis Report published by the Department of Community and Rural Development (May 2020), this study will compare and contrast the cost of the provision of housing and associated services on edge-of-town greenfield sites, brownfield sites (demolish and rebuild) and via the adaptive re-use of existing urban buildings. Conventional project evaluation criteria permit local authorities only to articulate the clearly-quantifiable costs and benefits within a narrowly-defined project brief or policy framework, and do not consider the broader social, economic and environmental spill-over effects, such as: providing connectivity like public lighting and sewerage; travel costs and additional parking requirements; health costs where pedestrian and cycling options are replaced by a need to drive due to distance or safety. This research should provide a rationale for including the conventionally missing economic benefits of heritage-led urban regeneration into a financial appraisal model, giving local government and state agencies responsible for the protection of heritage a practical framework that can be incorporated into the decision-making processes for adaptive reuse of heritage buildings. As well as financial assessments, the appraisal processes designed by such a framework should incorporate a means to quantify the value of social, economic and cultural benefits to town centre regeneration and vitality.