What's the council going to do now with decaying former Mayo hotel?

Elected representatives in Castlebar have expressed their frustrations at the lack of progress on the Imperial Hotel site and the failure to deliver a civic space for the county town.

Independent councillor Harry Barrett sparked the debate by questioning the future of the long-vacant Imperial Hotel building, saying the town deserves a proper municipal district meeting space.

“What are we going to do about the Imperial now?” he asked.

“If every other district has a proper chamber, we should have one too, something that honours Davitt and tells the story of our town.”

Councillor Barrett also raised the issue of the 24 properties mentioned in the most recent Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) call, asking if they were derelict and whether funding was being made available to bring them back into use.

“I would love to see these expedited,” he said. “We’re in the middle of a housing crisis and can’t afford to leave derelict properties idle in the heart of town.”

Councillor Michael Kilcoyne also called for urgent action.

“For God’s sake, spend the money, it’s been five years since it was allocated. Every other local authority has theirs spent, we need to move on and get things done.”

Councillor Ger Deere criticised the lack of transparency around the most recent failed proposal for the hotel.

“We still haven’t been told what exactly happened. All we get are emails saying it’s fallen through, but the public are asking questions and we need proper answers,” he said.

“It could have implications for other developments or investors.”

There was widespread disappointment over the failure to secure a €7 million private investment for the hotel. The previous plan fell through with little clarity relayed to councillors over the reasons why.

Councillor Al McDonnell described it as a “major setback” and said the town has not only lost out on the hotel but also a further €6 million in potential linked investment.

“We badly need a hotel in the town, there are only 44 beds available a night,” he said. “I hope someone else knocks on the door with a new proposal.”

Councillor Cyril Burke acknowledged that costs have increased significantly in recent years but urged councillors to remain open to new proposals.

“I hear what Councillor Barrett is saying, it would be lovely to have a new office, but we need to keep an open mind to anyone else who may want to take it over.”

The condition of the current meeting space also came under fire.

Councillor Blackie Gavin was scathing in his remarks, describing the room above the canteen in Castlebar as “a disgrace.”

“We got €7 million five years ago and haven’t spent a euro. Every town and village has theirs spent and are out looking for more. We came into the meeting with chairs piled in a corner,” he said, “it was like a battleground trying to get into this meeting room. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Councillor Gavin pointed to progress being made in other counties, including Meath, where major civic office extensions are underway, “their CEO told me they don’t have the money but they’re doing it anyway.”

“We’re the county town in the third-largest county in Ireland, and the cathaoirleach doesn’t even have an office,” he said.

He supported the idea of including civic office space in the proposed innovation hub but was reminded by officials that the allocated funding cannot be used for council offices.

Head of Castlebar Municipal District David Mellett stressed that space limitations within the Imperial Hotel site would make a civic office incompatible with the innovation hub proposal, noting that allocating a floor for council staff would make a hub unviable.

With no firm proposal on the table and constraints on funding streams and limited space, the future of the Imperial Hotel remains uncertain and unclear.