Council plans to sell off derelict properties instead of redeveloping them.
2 derelict properties that had been transferred to Limerick Council have been put up for sale on property website daft.ie by commercial real estate company Avison Young.
One of the properties, the former Mary Street Garda station, had been transferred to the council from the OPW for €50,000 in 2019 and has been listed for sale for €100,000.
Earlier this year this site was one of the stops on the “Dereliction Walking Tour” organised by the Raise-The-Roof housing action coalition where opposition was heard to the plans for this site to be sold to the “Newenham Street Group Ltd.” for the purposes of providing office space and consulting rooms for a private medical centre.
At a council meeting in March to decide on the disposal of this property there was opposition from all but 1 local councillor to the sale of such an important site in a regeneration area which could better serve public use than becoming another office building.
In response to councillors opposition to the sale council Chief Executive, Dr. Pat Daly, told them, “what you decide is what you decide, and we will respect that”
The other property that the council is looking for expressions of interest for are 4 cottages on Verdant Place, beside Thomond bridge, overlooking the river.
The “toll cottages” were acquired last year by the council through CPO after being placed on the derelict sites register.
Local People Before Profit Representative, Ruairí Fahy, said “In March, we knocked on every door around Mary Street asking what they would like from the former Garda Station. The vast majority said they wanted to see it turned into apartments to tackle the severe housing shortage in the area.
“There’s serious potential in both the former Garda Station and Verdant Place to provide suitable smaller homes for elderly or single people on the housing waiting list or to even free up some homes for people on the transfer list. If €330,000 can be made available to buy a one bed apartment under a part V arrangement in Garryowen it’s bound to be cheaper to turn these properties into homes and take some people off the housing waiting list.
“With the number of derelict properties that are making their way into the council’s hands through CPO the council needs to start directly redeveloping them instead of selling them to private owners and hoping that they return them to use.
“For too long these places have sat idle so now is the time for the council to build up the skills in-house for returning vacant and derelict homes to use. With so much specialist work that is needed on properties they own and with privately owned properties around the city it’s a chance to provide some tradesmen with good, quality long term work ensuring these buildings are restored, and not let fall further into ruin.”
