St Patricks Hall

Appointed as the Main Contractor under a Two Stage Design & Build contract, Heron Bros Ltd (HBL) successfully delivered a transformative £45 million educational development at Union Street, Coleraine, on behalf of the Northern Regional College (NRC). This landmark project comprised a 12,639 m², four storey campus building, configured around a central landscaped courtyard. Fully funded by the Department for the Economy, the campus formed part of an £101 million capital investment programme aimed at modernising further education facilities across Coleraine and Ballymena.

The development replaced the previous college buildings entirely, occupying the full footprint of the original site. Located in a constrained town centre environment bounded by Union Street, Brook Street, Circular Road and the historic Anderson Park the campus served as a key catalyst in the Coleraine Town Centre Masterplan, stimulating urban regeneration while reinforcing community integration.

St Patrick’s Parish Centre Restoration

Heron Bros Ltd delivered the sympathetic restoration and refurbishment of the Grade B2 listed St Patrick’s Centre as part of Northern Regional College’s new Union Street campus development. Originally built in 1881, the former Brook Street School buildings have served many community roles over the decades. The completed project now provides a 100 seat Performing Arts Centre for the College’s Creative Industries Department while maintaining public accessibility for community events.

The restoration respected the historical integrity of the Victorian structure, with careful repair and reinstatement of key heritage features. Works included repointing the red Bann brick façade with traditional sand/lime mortar, removing asbestos beneath the roof, and re-roofing with salvaged Bangor Blue slates. Decorative roofline details were repaired and highlighted, and original panelled pitch pine doors were stripped, wax-finished, and reinstated alongside restored sash windows. A brass window pulley discovered during clearance was also refurbished and reused.

Internally, ground floor partitions were removed to create an open, light filled performance space featuring exposed pitch pine King Post trusses and state of the art production and music equipment. Value engineering replaced mechanical ventilation with a natural ventilation strategy using existing window ducting and refurbished chimney stacks achieving a cost saving and enhancing the building’s aesthetic by removing bulky ductwork.

Eight specialist restoration subcontractors from Heron Bros’ award winning Templemore Baths project were engaged to ensure expert craftsmanship. The Site Manager led a Traditional Skills Academy in masonry, tiling, and joinery, upskilling 50 people. Heritage materials from the adjacent campus demolition including mahogany beams and reclaimed quarry tiles were reused, creating a tangible link between the old and the new.