RENOVATION work will begin next week converting two houses inside the Elizabeth Fort into self-catering accommodation.

It means tourists visiting Cork will soon be able to spend a night inside the historic fort overlooking the city centre.

The Irish Landmark Trust has been granted planning permission to convert two houses inside the fort for use as accommodation.

The organisation finds interesting and unusual properties that are in need of conservation and gives them new life as locations to stay in.

One that they operate is the Galley Head lighthouse property in west Cork.

Some of the buildings inside Elizabeth Fort were most recently used as a garda station.

The Trust wants to change the use and refurbish one of the mid-terrace and adjoining end of terrace two-storey houses. Both buildings are protected structures.

The work will include new bathrooms and kitchens and a new glass canopy at ground floor level to the rear of both houses.

The Irish Landmark Trust is a non-profit organisation that finds interesting and unusual properties and gives them new life.

Since 1992, they have been turning historic buildings into self-catering holiday accommodation. Their properties range from lighthouses and schoolhouses to castles and gate lodges.

Cork City Council has already tapped into European funding streams in a bid to use the historic fort to tell the maritime, military and industrial history of the wider Cork region.

The local authority is also looking to hire a project manager to oversee a three-year project at Elizabeth Fort, turning the area into a crucial part of Cork’s tourism offering.