Calls to add Wexford’s old Loreto school to derelict sites register – ‘It’s a blight on the town’

By Simon Bourke, Wexford People

Despite plans to convert it into an elderly care facility and suggestions that it could be used to house Ukrainians fleeing the war in their homeland, the old Loreto school in Wexford town remains empty and unused. Since its closure in 2018 the building has been sold to a construction firm for a reported €1.6m fee and was most recently the subject of a proposal to turn it into facility for those aged 55 and over.

However, at the time of writing that proposal (first reported by The Wexford People in 2022) has not come to fruition and there are now calls for the building to be added to the derelict sites register.

“It’s a blight on that part of the town and a horrible waste of a building,” said Councillor Leonard Kelly at the January meeting of the Wexford Borough District. “Is the council doing anything proactive in terms of engaging with the owners? As soon as anyone touches that property the rumour mill goes into overdrive, could we at least confirm that it’s a private building and the council is exploring what to do with it from a dereliction perspective?”

If the old Loreto school was to be placed on the derelict sites register its owners would have to return it to use or face annual levies of 7pc while it remained empty. And Cllr Kelly said it was incumbent on WCC to “chase down” those owners and “ask them what they’re going to do with it”.

In response, executive planner Graeme Hunt said that although there had been “various pre-planning approaches over the years” the council had not received any recent applications to develop the site.

“I will talk to the derelict structures team about whether it needs to go on the register,” he added.