County council buys Quinn building for new HQ

Meath County Council has bought the former Quinn Direct Insurance building at the Navan's IDA Business Park and is to turn it into a new headquarters for the local authority.

The 83,000 square feet building on eight acres was purchased from the Quinn liquidator for €5.1 million. It will be fitted out and should be ready for occupation in 12-15 months' time. The total cost, including fitting out, will be in the region of €8 million.

The council said it could justify moving to the Quinn building because its 750 staff were scattered among 10 different sites throughout Navan.

It said that the council would finance the cost out of its own funds without borrowing and it stressed that neither property tax nor household charge revenue will be used to finance the project.

The council signed the contract for the purchase of the building today (Friday).

County manager Brendan McGrath said the council wanted to offer a modern and efficient service to the people of Meath and it was hindered in that by being in occupation of council buildings that were not fit for the purpose.

The Quinn building has been vacant for two years and no purchasers were on he horizon.

Mr McGrath said he believed the council was getting good value for money considering that other councils had built new headquarters at far greater cost.