A NEW L-shaped Lusitania Museum at the Old Head of Kinsale has been given the green light, after Cork County Council granted planning permission to the Old Head Signal Tower Heritage CLG for the redevelopment of the site earlier in April.
The organisation has been granted planning permission for the construction of a single-storey, L-shaped museum on a site of the existing wastewater treatment plant, which will be demolished.
The new museum, which will be partially below ground level, will also incorporate an exhibition space, café, gift shop, visitor bathrooms, lift, plant and storeroom. The existing parking will also be relocated, and a new wastewater treatment system implemented.
The Old Head Signal Tower, located at Ballymackean, is a recorded protected structure and the application does not involve any work to the tower. The site is significant as it represents the closest point of land to the final resting place of the RMS Lusitania, which was torpedoed by a German U-boat on May 7th 1915, with the loss of 1,201 lives.
The former owner of the wreck, Gregg Bemis, signed over the Lusitania wreck and its artefacts to the Lusitania Museum/ Old Head Signal Tower Heritage CLG in May 2019 in a move that was warmly welcomed by the group at the time.
In its planning statement, the Old Head Signal Tower Heritage CLG said the development aims to ensure the continued and improved use of the site as the Lusitania Museum and Memorial Garden.
‘This design approach aims to balance the demand for visitor experiences while integrating the historical significance of the signal tower,’ they said.
‘The successful implementation of the new Lusitania Museum is expected to enhance Cork’s reputation as a leading national and international destination.’
