‘Knock it down to hell’: Councillor demands urgent action on derelict buildings in Mayo town
As plans for a major housing and regeneration project move forward, attention has turned to derelict council properties in the centre of Castlebar.
Local representatives have welcomed the plans, which include demolishing four council-owned buildings along Ellison Street.
However, there have been calls for the buildings to be repainted, boarded up, or demolished as soon as possible to improve the street's appearance.
At the December meeting of the Castlebar Municipal District, Cllr Ger Deere voiced frustration at what he sees as an unacceptable lack of progress on the council-owned units.
"Either knock the bloody thing until something is done and put up nice boarding," he said, "or paint it up like private business people did just four doors down."
The Fine Gael councillor said he was “blue in the face” from continually asking the council to carry out any work on the derelict units.
Cllr Deere pointed out that a privately owned building on the street was painted in August, dramatically improving its appearance.
He had previously praised the repainting of the building, but said it drew more attention to the "despicable" condition of the council-owned properties on the same street, which he branded the "worst street in the town".
The renewed appeal for action comes as plans for a large-scale regeneration project for Castlebar town centre have moved forward.
Housing along Ellison Street is a key part of the wider regeneration project, which will see the four council-owned properties replaced with 13 new homes.
"Just knock it down to hell - it has to be knocked down anyway, it appears," Cllr Deere said, "and put up nice boarding on it because it's letting the town down”.
Under the design proposals, a new building fronting Ellison Street will integrate with the historic streetscape, leading to a courtyard and a smaller apartment block at the rear.
The project also includes an archway to provide public access to the area behind, improving permeability and adding urban interest to the town centre.
Similar housing regeneration projects are taking place on other streets in Castlebar town centre.
On Lower Charles Street, two vacant and derelict townhouses have been replaced with four one-bedroom apartments.
A terrace of three units on Barrack Bridge will be retained and renewed, as they are considered key to Castlebar’s historic character, and will provide three two-bedroom houses.
A vacant plot of land in Riverside, Newtown, will also be developed to provide four new terraced houses.
Designs for the Ellison Street redevelopment have been finalised, with Part Eight planning documents ready for publication and tender documents prepared.
In the meantime, Cllr Deere has demanded urgent action from the council.
"We are the landlords. I want something done with it, either knocked or boarded up in the next couple of months," he said, adding that he did not want to be waiting another year to see progress.
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.