2026:002 - Holborn Hill, Corporation Lands, Belturbet, Cavan

The site is located at the junction of Holborn Hill and Barrack Lane on the eastern margins of the town of Belturbet, Co. Cavan. It is proposed to partially demolish and convert an existing community centre (formerly Erne Ballroom/Palais and protected structure CV180) to two one-bedroom apartments retaining the front façade of the existing building, erect three two-storey two-bedroom terraced houses, erect two two-bedroom terraced bungalows (7 units in total) with connection to all public services and all associated site works.
The proposed development was located within the zone of archaeological notification associated with the historic settlement of Belturbet (CV011-013—-). The present building which occupies the site is recorded on the NIAH data base (40307010) as being of regional importance and is also a protected structure (CV180).
An Bord Pleanála, in their consideration of the proposal, noted while that development would ‘secure retention of the protected structure building’s primary feature of architectural interest’ that is the Holborn Hill façade, it was possible that some unknown features of archaeological interest may have survived the development of the building as a cinema, and conditioned an archaeological impact assessment.
Archaeological works took place on 20th January 2026, under license 25E0178. Following protection of the Holborn Hill Façade works progressed on the demolition of the building to the rear. The removal of the concrete floors, which ran in a series of steps downhill from Holborn Hill, revealed deposits of ‘made ground’, consisting of dark yellow-brown, stony clay loam, with red brick and modern bottle fragments. These modern deposits sat directly on a layer of significantly scarped natural suboils, with no evidence for any intervening deposits.
Nothing of archaeological interest was noted in the assessment