Wexford council to carry out derelict site inspection on former school left vacant for eight years
Wexford PeopleWexford County Council (WCC) is to carry out a derelict site inspection at the old Loreto school in Killeens eight years after its closure. Since its closure, the building has remained vacant despite it being sold to a construction firm for a reported fee of €1.6m.
In 2022 it was reported that the new owner of the building intended to develop an “own-door” elderly care facility for people over the age of 55 with a planning application to be lodged in the first quarter of 2023.
That planning application has yet to be submitted and, in the intervening years, rumours regarding the use of the building have continued to circulate with suggestions at one point that it could be used to house Ukrainians.
At the monthly meeting of the Wexford Borough District, Councillor Tom Forde asked what the current status of the building is.
“I’m wondering why it’s not on the derelict sites list. It’s been vacant since 2018, I’m now aware of any planning applications which have been submitted. Can we reach out to the developer and request that they get active on it?” he asked.
Although senior planner Diarmuid Heuston said there hadn’t been any “significant discussions” with the owner of the building he did commit to carrying out a derelict site inspection at the Loreto.
If the old Loreto school was to be placed on the derelict sites register its owner would have to return it to use or face annual levies of 7pc while it remained empty.