AMBITIOUS plans to redevelop Malahide Castle into a world-class tourist destination over the next three years have been given the green light by Fingal County Council.

Councillors have agreed to proceed with the project after the plans were presented at a full meeting of the council at the end of a public consultation period on the 10 million tourism project.

At the centre of the development is a network of new buildings in and around the craft courtyard in Malahide demesne. The new and refurbished buildings will help to link tourist attractions at the park and will include new spaces for a museum centred around the Talbot family and the history of the castle itself, a new retail space and a children's project area next to the Fry Model Railway. The scheme also hopes to open up the Talbot Gardens in a way that has never been done before, giving the public much greater access to this local botanic wonder.

As for the castle itself, the council is to open up new areas of the building to the public and there will be a a lift installed to give wheelchair access to the upper floors. New walking routes will open up across the park and there will be a long-awaited access point close to the train station so that tourists can access the park more directly.

The two-storey Victorian house south of the craft courtyard will also be refurbished and will serve as an office and canteen for the park rangers.

The project comes with a price tag of over 10 million – € 3 million more than was first thought.

Asked by Cllr Peter Coyle (Lab), why costs had risen in the project, community services director, Senan Turnbull said that the development was 'always going to be a nine to 11 million euro project'. He said that what had changed was the percentage of the overall cost that Fáilte Ireland were putting into the project, meaning that the council had to fund a greater portion of the 10 million price-tag. Some € 3.75 million has been secured in a Bord Fáilte grant under the National Development Fund and that will be added to by the council who are ready to stump up a further 6.25 million.

- John Manning reports