Old Mill Derelict Sites Register listing
COUNCIL ISSUES NOTICE TO OWNERS OF THE LONG DERELICT LISTED HOTEL SITE
MEATH County Council has informed the owners of the Old Mill Hotel site of their intention to start the process of listing the land on the Derelict Sites Register, it has been revealed.
Notice was issued to the owners on February 6th in accordance with the provisions of the Derelict Sites Act 1990.
The owners of the site now have one month to make representation to the council on the matter.
The news has been welcomed by the Julianstown District and Community Association (JDCA).
The council was previously threatened with legal action by a local company for it’s failure to put the site of the Old Mill Hotel on the derelict sites register, despite it being officially declared derelict in 2008.
In a recent legal letter, the company called on Meath County Council to: ‘Purchase the site with a view to its development as a public amenity in consultation with the community and other stakeholders’.
In a letter to local residents informing them of the council’s plans, the JDCA said: ‘While this is good news for local residents you will note that it has taken more than one threat of legal action to bring the Council to this stage, after years of trying to get them to act.
‘While the present development is to be welcomed it is merely the start of a process to redevelop this site.
‘JDCA will be keeping a close watch on the subsequent actions of the Council in this regard and will not hesitate to hold them to account for any failure by them to fulfill their obligations under the provisions of the Act.’
Last summer, the council took steps to force the owners to take action and address its ruinous condition before the process was started to place it on the derelict sites register.
The site is a huge eyesore at the heart of the otherwise pretty and well maintained village and residents have long expressed their concerns to both the council and public representatives about the area since the hotel closed down ten years ago after it was destroyed by fire.
The site, and an adjacent 18th century mill house are protected structures and Julianstown in east Meath is an architectural conservation area. Local people had complained of dumping in the area and that the condition of it was a health hazard.