The project was originally estimated to cost €28mThe Crawford Art Gallery

The cost to renovate Cork’s Crawford Art Gallery has raised eyebrows in the Dáil, with a Dublin TD highlighting how the price has more than tripled since the initial estimate was completed in 2020. The gallery has been closed since September 2024, and the renovation was estimated to cost €28 million, but has since ballooned to almost €94 million.

The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media approved the eight-figure redevelopment, which aims to increase the overall size of the gallery and add a new top floor to the historic city centre building. The project includes a 32m extension, a new main entrance, landscaping, accessibility improvements and a new restaurant which will open out onto Half Moon Street.

The enormous cost increase was queried by Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh, who asked Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport Patrick O’Donovan to outline the reasons for such a substantial jump. Deputy O’Donovan said that the project had ‘progressed in line with the infrastructure guidelines’, describing the renovation as a ‘challenging and complex project’ due to the historic nature of the building.

The Limeick TD also highlighted how construction inflation, at just under 40%, had contributed to the new cost estimate. The new cost analysis was conducted in 2024, when the project went out to tender. To date, €6.5 million has been paid out, with €86.6 million remaining in the budget.

Deputy O’Donovan said that proceeding with the redevelopment as it currently stands is the ‘most direct, timely and cost-effective way to deliver a new and revitalised Crawford Art Gallery.’ The contractor is expected to begin work in early 2026, with the project completion set for 2028, one year later than the original reopening estimate.

Deputy Ó Snodaigh acknowledged that costs have increased substantially in recent years, but challenged the Minister on his claims regarding construction inflation.

The Dublin TD said: “Costs have increased substantially. The gallery renovation will add an extra 50% in terms of space for exhibitions and so on. A lot of work will be done to make the gallery accessible in the future. Even a 40% increase in construction inflation would only bring the cost to €40 million.

“What exactly are the changes in the design or refurbishment that brought about such a substantial jump? It is a good investment, and I have absolutely no problem with the figure. However, when a project is announced with a particular cost, the public starts to believe that is the amount it will cost until, all of a sudden, a new figure is announced. This makes us, as politicians, look a bit stupid.”

The Minister replied, saying that “nobody wants to go out of his or her way to look stupid” but that the reality of working with heritage buildings means that the complexity of the problems is often only discovered after the fact.

Deputy O’Donovan stated that the project has undergone significant changes during the planning and design phase, and he has made it clear that he is dissatisfied with the increased costs.