Plea to expedite plans to remove ‘biggest eyesore' in Mayo county town

A Castlebar councillor has hit out again over the lack of progress in dealing with dereliction.

Councillor Harry Barrett says he receives a call once a fortnight from people wondering what is happening with a derelict property on Ellison Street in the county town.

“It is one of the biggest eyesores in the town,” he told a municipal district meeting where he urged that its redevelopment be pushed on.

The property, which is under council ownership, made the front page of The Connaught Telegraph last week in a lead story on dereliction.

Councillor Barrett has called out the scourge of dereliction across the county and has previously called for the recruitment of additional staff to tackle the issue.

On the Ellison Street property, he asked management if there is any way planning can expedite it and push it on.

Also on dereliction, Councillor Michael Kilcoyne noted how the council has spent money making properties at Barrack Bridge safe. They should have been bulldozed instead, he said, and new houses put in there.

He wanted to know the cost involved in making them safe.

Councillor Barrett has asked for more regular reports on dereliction, fees paid, and what's happening on a number of properties in the centre of town.

Municipal head David Mellett said they are seeing increased action on dereliction, with a lot more levying and potentially following up on court cases.

There have been discussions with various property owners, with work planned for some of them and others moving on to the next level.