Public consultation event to held over Fort Dunree development plans

A public consultation event will be held next week about the planned redevelopment of Fort Dunree.

Donegal County Council has been awarded grant funding of €9,251,000 for Fort Dunree under Fáilte Irelands, Capital investment scheme Platform for Growth – A Programme for Tourism Investment, Platform 1: Immersive Heritage and Cultural Attractions. 

This will be supported by €3.2 million match funding committed by Donegal County Council providing a total Project value of €12.5 million investment.

The transformational tourism project at Fort Dunree is informed by a vision to reimagine the visitor experience at this spectacular Fort and Discovery Point along the Wild Atlantic Way.

The project will physically link the three unique elements of Fort Dunree: Lough Swilly below the Fort; the Promontory Fort and the ‘High Guns’ Fort; provide immersive heritage and cultural touch points with a new route that opens up the site, with viewing points via modern interventions such as an inclined elevator and interpretive instillations.

The proposed Project includes the following key components.

Works to improve existing High Fort
Provision of an iconic inclined elevator to the High Fort
Works to improve High Guns installation
Provision of improved distribution roads & parking
Upgraded and new walkways and watchtower works
Lighthouse conservation works
Military Museum & Night Skies space
Stabilise, repair or remove existing billet buildings
Provide new public spaces and facilities

Plans for the Fort Dunree Project are nearing completion, so the project team would like to engage with all users of the site to ascertain their existing use of site and how best this can be facilitated into the future.

A questionnaire has been developed and we would encourage all current users of the Fort Dunree Site to complete this, to help inform the Project Team on their current usage of the site and form the basis for discussion on how this can be facilitated in the future https://www.donegalcoco.ie/ media/donegalcountyc/mediahub/ documents/Fort%20Dunree%20-% 20Local%20Access% 20Consultation%20Questionaire.docx

The public consultation will be held in the Saldanha Suite at Fort Dunree on Wednesday, May 10 from 11am until 8pm, for the public and all users of the site to drop in and speak with the project team. 

The council would also welcome any feedback from the public and users of the site through email at CPDU@donegalcoco.ie