Fence around Ardee Castle is staying pending external examination
THE fence erected around Ardee Castle, after debris fell from the roof of the ancient building, is staying put.
Louth County Council say that the fence will not be taken away until a full external examination of the building has taken place.
Council official Alan Sherry confirmed to councillors at a meeting in Castlebellingham that consultants had been appointed in relation to the major restoration project to be undertaken at the castle.
He added that reports that the cost of the fence was in the region of €30,000 were inaccurate and the fence was actually bought by the council for €700. He is preparing a timeframe for the works to begin.
But councillors were highly critical of the delays in the project that has seen the castle locked up for the past number of years.
Cllr Jim Tenanty said he wanted the fence moved as it was illegal anyway, not being the required distance from the walls to prevent anything falling from the structure onto the path below.
He said the councillors were being criticised on social media for ‘ doing nothing’ on the castle but they had been raising the subject for years.
‘It should be well progressed by now but it’s not,’ he stated. ‘ There is money there for the works and different architects have come in. I can’t take this anymore. There are a couple of local people running us down and we are trying our best.’
Cllr Dolores Minogue said that at least now the consultants had been appointed and she hoped it could be pushed on.
Cllr Colm Markey said it was unfortunate that the ‘ wheels moved slowly’ on the project, but the money was in place for it and he urged the council to move it on with the other bodies involved. ‘It is an exceptional asset to the town,’ he added. ‘We’ve done what we can on this and everyone around the table has pushed for it.’
The fence is something Cllr Tom Cunningham wanted move as he feels it serves no purpose anyway. ‘If anything falls off the roof it’s going to end up on the wrong side of it anyway.’
Cllr Pearse McGeough is equally frustrated by the whole events and urged that the project be moved on as quickly as possible.