HSE may be forced to pay levies on old Wexford hospital which has been on derelict sites register for over a year

By Simon Bourke, Wexford People

With childcare places at a premium across the county, Wexford County Council (WCC) has provided a list of areas where proposed créches have yet to be built by developers. In addition, following a query from Councillor Tom Forde, it has also listed the créches which have been constructed but remain vacant.

Under housing legisltations, developers must provide a créche in any housing estate of 75 units or more.

At Roxborough Manor a créche has yet to be built despite WCC granting planning permission for “proposed modifications” to a childcare facility. The recently completed development at Kerlogue Manor also does not yet have a créche constructed for its residents. Similarly, Ard Uisce has yet to have a créche built.

Compounding the crisis in childcare are the presence of créches which were built but never occupied. These include buildings at Cluain Dara – which remain vacant – and Cromwellsfort where the créche has since been converted for residential use. Lastly, at Lus Mór, WCC has granted the developer permission to change an unoccupied créche into a residential unit.

Speaking at the February meeting of the Wexford Borough, Cllr Tom Forde asked just when the vacant buildings in Cluain Dara (187 and 188) would be made available for residential use.

“What can be done to bring those properties back into use?” he asked senior planner Tom Banville. “They were earmarked for a crèche; it’s easy for a developer to build a crèche and leave it unoccupied. These properties have been in a prime residential area for over 20 years, vacant. Do we really want them sitting there for another 5–10 years?”

Explaining that WCC’s hands were tied in relation to the properties at Cluain Dara, Mr Banville said a previous application to change the use of the buildings from childcare to residential was refused because of planning regulations; however, he accepted that it was “clear those properties should be for residential use”.

Mr Banville was providing an update on the number of derelict and vacant properties in the Wexford Borough and the processes involved in bringing them back into use.

“We currently have 36 properties on the derelict sites register in the Borough,” he said. “We also have 54 properties eligible for the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF), its primary aim is to acquire properties and bring them back to the market. Those properties are being inspected and monitored to see if they can be brought back into use or whether they’re going through the derelict site process.”

Perhaps suspicious of those who wished to avoid the work involved in returning a building back into residential use, Cllr Biddy Walsh asked how long a derelict property could be listed for sale on the open market before WCC intervened.

“If a house is for sale, there’s little more we can do,” replied Mr Banville. “The purpose of the URDF is to bring properties onto the market but if the market doesn’t want to buy it there’s nothing we can do. However, it will remain on the derelict site register until it’s sold. The key word is engagement, if the owner is engaging and corresponding, we’ll work with them to find a resolution.

"If the owner isn’t there, if we can’t contact them, we’ll move through the process quickly, we might issue a compulsory purchase order (CPO) and acquire it ourselves if no one is present to do anything about it.”

Cllr Raymond Shannon meanwhile, was concerned about vacancy rates in the centre of Wexford town and asked whether the council could prioritise buildings which had lain empty and unused for a period of time.

“We are looking at commercial properties on the main street,” said Mr Banville. “But it’s important to note that properties might be vacant rather than derelict, if they’re vacant and changing ownership that’s a different matter.”

Away from the centre of town, Cllr Vicky Barron referenced two historic Wexford buildings which appear to be in a permanent state of stasis.

“The old hospital is a blight on the town, it’s on the register, but the HSE is not doing anything with it,” she said. “Also, the nun’s old factory (Wexford Co-op) is sitting at the back of Parnell St, it’s not on any register, and it’s sitting there with nothing happening.”

With regards to the old hospital, Mr Banville said WCC had contacted the HSE but it hasn’t really “resolved anything there”.

"The next stage in the process is to start issuing levies,” said Mr Banville referencing the tax applied by WCC to derelict buildings which equates to an annual fee of 7pc of the property’s valuation.

“The Wexford Co-op is on the vacant sites register which looks at zoned and serviced land within the jurisdiction,” he said of the latter building.