‘Very limited’ time extension for owner of damaged building

Cork County Council have confirmed that the owner of the damaged building at 49 Upper Cork Street, Mitchelstown has been in contact with the council. On foot of the communication, the

Council have given the owner a limited time extension. Should the owner fail to act, the council vow to 'proceed immediately to progress the matter to the next stage'.

In December, the council gave the owner six weeks to act. While news that the owner has been in contact with the council is welcome, the council say that the response is 'unsatisfactory', so they are affording them ' very limited' additional time, in order to offer them a right to reply which is in compliance with legislation. The council gave the update in response to a letter from the MBA who sought a progress report.

A public protest at the end of November resulted in positive engagement with the council, improved hoarding in front of the collapsed building, pedestrian crossings allowing for improved visibility and the road being widened.

Since then, a notice was served to the owner of the property on 6th December requiring them to demolish the building within six weeks. The committee who were responsible for the collective call for action, and protest organisers, did not comment this week on the current situation. It is understood that talks to reopen the Brother’s Walk are ongoing.

€900 IN LEVIES COLLECTED IN 2020

The 2020 audited accounts for Cork County Council note that the local authority collected €900, out of a potential €308,000 in Derelict Sites Levies in that year. In 2019, they collected €18,500. From January 2020, the Derelict Site Levy was increased from 3% to 7%. However, Cork County Council has opted to keep the lower 3% rate. The auditor remarked that the Council does not have a countywide register of derelict sites, as each of the eight municipal districts maintains a separate register of derelict sites in their own area.

In response, the council said it had “invested significant efforts in ensuring that derelict sites are managed and addressed at a local Municipal District level. This is particularly the case for sites that are at pre-derelict sites register stage and where the legislation hasn’t formally been utilised. This experience has demonstrated that engaging constructively with site owners and property owners, outside of the formal legislative framework, has proven beneficial. The Council, through the MDORD directorate, has committed to proactively addressing registered derelict sites in 2021/2 and significant work is underway in that regard.”

“The Council acknowledges that there is a body of work to be done on updating the existing MD derelict sites registers and the collection of levies, and this is progressing as a priority. A standardised process approach is currently being developed to support same.”

This week Mitchelstown businessman Denis McGrath, wrote to the Minister for Housing, claiming the town’s ‘decline’ (referencing the perceived inaction on 49 Upper Cork Street and the legacy issues around the Wastewater Treatment Plant) was due to a lack of political sway in the town. He claimed that, “The reality is in our Taoiseach’s constituency they wouldn’t dare halt house construction, then pump the effluent into the river Lee.” He went on to call for ‘young, enthusiastic, energetic people’ to run for election in Mitchelstown.