Laois County Council to levy derelict properties
Laois County Council has levied five derelict sites in Portarlington.
The information was revealed after Sinn Fein Cllr Aidan Mullins tabled a motion on the issue.
He asked “that Laois County Council give a list of designated derelict sites from the Register in Portarlington and show the level of enforcement action taken by the Council for each site.”
In a written response, Senior Planner, David O’Hara, stated that “there are currently five sites in Portarlington on the derelict sites register as per the table attached. All sites have been levied. Four of the sites are under consideration for compulsory purchase.”
Two of the five properties, the former AIB and the old Post Office, are on Main Street, two more are on Bracklone Street and one is on Foxcroft Street.
Cllr Mullins welcomed the fact that “finally” there was some enforcement in relation to dereliction in Portarlington.
“Seven percent of the market value is imposed as a levy on the property per annum but the only reason the levy has been imposed is because the property owners have ignored the enforcement notices of the council to bring them back out of a state of dereliction,” said Cllr Mullins.
“I am talking in particular here, and I have raised it so many times, about the former AIB site in Portarlington on the Main Street which is in an awful state of dereliction,” he said.
“It would not be tolerated in any other town in Ireland. The state of that building. And it’s not that the owners are not in a position to clean up this site. There is a planning application gone in to construct apartments,” he said.
“The ones in Bracklone Street have been allowed to stay idle for the last ten, 15 or 20 years, it is just not good enough. I could name a few other derelict sites in the town as well,” said Cllr Mullins.
He said the AIB building is still an eye sore and it could remain an eye sore for the next 15 or 20 years. He said the local Tidy Towns group were frustrated by the state of the derelict building.
“I do know that in four of those sites the property owners can afford to bring them out of a state of dereliction,” claimed Cllr Mullins.
Fine Gael Cllr PJ Kelly supported the motion and spoke about the amount of money which had been spent trying to improve Main Street in Portarlington.
“Business owners and dwelling owners along Main Street, the efforts they make to keep their premises as pristine as they possibly can and then this eyesore is just plonked in the middle of it. It is a crying shame,” said Cllr Kelly.
The issue was discussed at the latest meeting of Portarlington Graiguecullen Municipal District.