The Government has announced the planning application for a major redevelopment at the Crawford Art Gallery. This is a flagship project in Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin's programme of investments under the National Development Plan, which will see many of our much-loved National Cultural Institutions restored, renewed and future-proofed for generations to come.

Commenting on the planning application, Minister Martin said: “Today is an extremely important day not just for the Crawford Art Gallery, but for our wider cultural ecology. Today we are submitting a planning application for an ambitious project which will transform the Gallery, will create new public spaces for cultural expression and civic discourse, and critically, will see this heritage building restored and renewed to the highest standards of sustainability.”

The project has been designed by an interdisciplinary design team, led by award-winning Grafton Architects, with funding provided by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. The design will provide significant new exhibition and public spaces, a new Learn and Explore facility to engage new audiences, and a new public gallery providing panoramic views of the city.

The project will also address long-standing challenges with the fabric of the historic building, will create fit-for-purpose storage spaces for our invaluable National Collection, and will significantly enhance the sustainability of the building to support meeting our national emissions reduction targets. Critically, the project will create a new entrance onto Emmet Place, opening the Crawford onto a new urban plaza at the heart of the cultural life of the city.

The project will deliver the following:

• A significant reorientation of the existing Gallery space, with the new entrance relocated to the historic Custom House building, facing onto Emmet Place.
• The project will provide for significant new and enhanced spaces including the following:
• 160 sq. m of additional gallery / exhibition space including a new public gallery with panoramic views of the city
• 140 sq. m of reception area space
• 100 sq. m of new storage space to protect and care for the national collections
• 240 sq. m of additional ancillary space
• 75 sq. m for a new Learn and Explore facility
• 165 sq. m of new courtyard space
• The existing galleries and public spaces will be made more accessible and socially inclusive.
• The historic fabric of the building will be protected and the building future-proofed with significant investment in its sustainability.