Owner of Enniscorthy sports shop was not spoken to prior to plans being revealed to demolish his property

By Simon Bourke, Wexford People

The owner of an Enniscorthy sports shop which is to be demolished as part of the expansive Castle Quarter project was not spoken to prior to the plans being unveiled to the general public last week. MySport, which is situated on Castle Street, will be removed, along with ten residential apartments, to facilitate a project which will see a full refurbishment of the three-storey Victorian building.

And while a compulsory purchase order (CPO) has been issued to the owner of MySport by Wexford County Council (WCC), local councillors say no-one from the shop was contacted by phone or in person about the proposed plans.

Speaking at the February meeting of the Enniscorthy Municipal District (EMD), Councillor Jackser Owens said he had talked to the shop’s owner since the plans were revealed.

“It seems no one from WCC spoke to him, he received a few letters but no one contacted him in person. Surely we could have some courtesy and had a conversation with him and told him what’s going to happen. He didn’t see any of the plans until they appeared on social media after our meeting.”

Cllr Aidan Browne had also spoken with the shop owner.

“I asked the question at our meeting whether he’d been spoken to and I was told he had, but he said he just received a letter and then saw the plans online.”

The restored front of 6-7 Castle Street. Image: Moloney O’Berne Architects

Although MySport, which has been in operation for 27 years, will be removed as part of the project, WCC is hopeful that the business can be relocated elsewhere in Enniscorthy’s town centre.

At a special meeting held in the Presentation Centre the previous week the six councillors were informed that the project, which will see a number of renovation works carried out on Castle Street and its surrounds, was to be submitted for planning within 24 hours and that time was of the essence if funding is to be secured.

As part of the project, the former ballroom/nightclub building built on the original castle garden will be dismantled. The structures to the rear of 6-7 Castle Street will be removed. A new public garden with a raised deck overlooking the town will be created.

And a full refurbishment of the three storey Victorian building at 6/7 Castle Street for use as a ticket office and café, with exhibition rooms above, will be carried out.

This will see what Cllr Pat Kehoe referred to as some “collateral damage”, namely the removal of the popular MySport shop on Castle Street as well as ten residential apartments.

Michael Sweeney of the council’s housing acquisition team said they had been engaging with both MySport and the residents of those apartments since the project was first unveiled in 2024 and that tenants had been contacted regarding a compulsory purchase order (CPO) of the buildings.

“We have written to the involved parties to explain that process,” he said. “We have contacted An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP) about the CPO of these buildings and we expect to have a decision from them by April 1. We will allow the tenants to remain in situ for as long as possible, and we will work with them in a sensitive manner.”