Tipperary council issues letters to derelict property owners in Carrick-on-Suir town centre

Tipperary County Council has issued letters to derelict site owners in Carrick-on-Suir town centre requesting them to carry out renovation works to remove the properties from dereliction.

And the council plans to issue similar letters to the owners of derelict sites in the remainder of Carrick-on-Suir town and throughout Carrick-on-Suir Municipal District.

Carrick-on-Suir Municipal District’s Director of Services Brian Beck relayed this news to councillors at Carrick-on-Suir Municipal District’s monthly meeting in Carrick-on-Suir Town Hall last Thursday.

The letters inform the property owners that the Council considers the properties to be derelict sites that detract from the appearance of the town and asks them to carry our works to remove them from dereliction.

The letters have been issued over the past few months, with most being sent since January when Mr Beck told that month’s Carrick Municipal District meeting that he was “going after” derelict sites in the district and warned an annual Derelict Sites levy will be slapped on the owners of sites that aren’t spruced up.

The letters issued to the owners of derelict sites in Carrick-on-Suir town centre in recent months did not include the threat to impose the Derelict Sites levy.

Mr Beck told The Nationalist that derelict sites owners the Council has written to are being given a particular amount of time to carry out renovations to remove their property from dereliction. This could require just painting the property.

If they fail to carry out the Council’s request, a second letter will be issued warning that an annual Derelict Sites levy will be imposed on the property if it remains in dereliction.

Ballingarry Cllr Imelda Goldboro asked at the MD meeting how long would it be before council staff visit the villages in the district in relation to derelict sites. She pointed out that in some areas there were buildings derelict for 30 to 40 years.

Mr Beck assured Cllr Goldsboro that he has made tackling derelict properties his top priority but pointed out that staff need to be released to identify the properties, prioritise them and forward them to the Council’s Environment Section. A technical report has to be carried out on each property before a letter is issued to the owner.

He pointed out there are a lot of demands on staff in other areas such as moving forward the Rural Regeneration Development Fund projects in Carrick-on-Suir.

Nevertheless, he said the council was very anxious to get those letters out to derelict site property owners and start the process over the next few months.