Urgent call to tackle ghost estate in county town

A GHOST estate of 77 houses would make a difference in addressing local housing needs if taken in charge by Mayo County Council.

The estate, on the Ballinrobe Road in Castlebar, was highlighted by Councillor Michael Kilcoyne at a time when, he said, there are people sleeping in doorways in the county town.

The matter has been going on about 10 or 11 years, he said, asking why it hasn't been dealt with and taken in charge by the council.

They have a huge derelict estate in the town and it would make a major difference for the people who are looking for accommodation.

At the end of the day, someone someday will have to demolish it, he said.

Yet many of the houses have been complete for the last eight or nine years.

It is 'disgraceful', he continued, when there are people sleeping on the streets in Castlebar. Someone rang him the other night and he took a drive and saw them, under duvets in doorways.

“And yet we are dragging our feet on it. Action needs to be taken on it,” he told the monthly meeting of Mayo County Council.

Director of services Tom Gilligan agreed it was a 'tragedy' that a housing estate is lying idle and derelict.

The council, he said, have made enquiries and taken legal advice on it.

The situation is that there are a number of judgements registered against it. Also, the company involved has been dissolved in the companies registry office, with the assets then reverting back to the State.

It would be necessary to get the company reincorporated, he explained, and brought back to the register. The liabilities due would all be at the expense of the council, so there would be a cost impediment in terms of bringing the houses back into use.

The site, said Mr. Gilligan, was in a prime location, particularly now with the new N5 development. However, it was an expensive process that would have to be gone through to bring it into use.

Councillor Kilcoyne asked that the council would assign someone to examine the estate and cost its acquisition and finishing off.

He appreciated it was 'complicated', but at some stage those 77 houses would be bulldozed to the ground. They needed to see what they can do to sort it out.