'Significant activity' promised for derelict sites in this Tipperary town

A Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) on Market Place would help to “focus minds” on the mostly deserted retail area in Clonmel, it was stated at the monthly meeting of Clonmel Borough District.

Cllr Michael Murphy, who made that suggestion, said that there was a lot of frustration and anger about the lack of progress in Market Place. The SuperValu store had closed in January 2016 and there seemed to be no light at the end of the tunnel.

The area is in private ownership and the council was limited in what it could do, but Cllr Murphy said it was time to consider a CPO (which enables local authorities to acquire land or property for development).

He said that the site had plenty of potential in terms of a residential development, possibly a retirement village, with some commercial elements.

Cllr John FitzGerald said that Market Place was the “standout dereliction” in the town centre, and the graffiti on the hoarding on boarded-up retail units gave it a “chilling effect” when you walked through the area.

Just two businesses, Peter Mark’s hairdressers and The Book Market, remained there, while all the other units were vacant.
It was a sad situation and the area sent out “the worst possible vibe” for the town.

However there was better news about the former Clonmel Arms site. Significant progress had been made in the previous week and the sale of the building was at an advanced stage, said Cllr FitzGerald.

Cllr Pat English said that Market Place was an eyesore in the town for a number of years. They needed to put pressure on the owners and a CPO would be a serious way of doing that.

The public lights weren’t connected to the streetscape, the area was in complete darkness and it was a shame to see it in that state.

Cllr English said it seemed to be a case of a private individual holding onto an asset and waiting for the right client to come along before selling it again.

He said that the former Dunnes and Heatons stores in O’Connell Street were also idle and pressure should also be put on the owners of both buildings, who also appeared to be just sitting on assets.

Cllr Siobhán Ambrose said she would like to see apartments built in the upper floors of the buildings in Market Place but she wasn’t in favour of a CPO because there was commercial viability in that area, in tandem with residential development.

The site was owned by a very wealthy company that owned a lot of property elsewhere.

The issue wasn’t finance, it was just a case of waiting for the company to come up with plans.

She had brought Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien to Market Place when he visited Clonmel recently and Cllr Ambrose had no doubt that there would be some engagement in relation to the area.

District Mayor Richie Molloy described it as “a slap in the face” to the people of the town that the owners had let it go so far.

The whole area was “dragging down” the town centre, despite the fact that it seemed to be owned by a very wealthy company.
The graffiti on the hoarding had worsened and they were hearing constant complaints from the public.

He had suggested that one of the local art groups could paint the hoardings in the short term.

District Manager Sinead Carr said that vacancy and dereliction in Clonmel was very much on her radar, and the council had focused on this for the last four to five months.

She wanted to continue to focus on dereliction and predicted that there would be “significant activity” in that area over the next 18 months, with progress reports presented to the elected members.

Ms Carr said that she shared the members’ concerns about Market Place, which was a very poor reflection of the town, particularly when it was an area that would add significant value to the town if developed.

She said she had “absolutely no issue” with progressing to a CPO in an area where it was warranted. Where a CPO was placed on a building or an area the council would need to have an end use for it that would have value for the town, and that was one of the key areas on which they would focus.

The Vacant Sites Levy and the Derelict Sites Levy would be of value, along with the URDF (Urban Regeneration and Development Fund), other grants and supports.

She said she was very conscious of the work of District Administrator Carol Creighton in the area of vacancy and dereliction and the Town Centre Forum would also work with the council in this regard.

Caroline Conway, Town Planner at Tipperary County Council, had earlier stated that the council’s planning section is acutely aware of the members’ concerns in relation to Market Place, and she had heard those concerns loud and clear.

The council had contact with the owners of the site before the summer but she had no update on whether further contact had been made since then, although the planning section would see how progress could be advanced.