Old Garda Station set to be sold by public auction ‘by the autumn’
THE old Wexford Garda Station on Roche’s Road is to be sold by public auction after the Office of Public Works (OPW) failed to find an alternative use for the building since the gardaí moved out in September of 2017.
In the intervening period, the vacant building has rapidly fallen into a state of disrepair and in recent times, there had even been complaints that rats were coming from the site and into adjoining properties.
In the past, the neighbouring St Bridget’s Day Care Centre had been in talks with the OPW in terms of taking over part of the building, but it’s believed that this proposal fell down over financial constraints and the amount of investment that would be required to bring the building up to code.
In the meantime, the building has continued to deteriorate and while Mayor of Wexford Cllr Leonard Kelly had pushed the OPW into cleaning up the site towards the end of last year, it remains an eyesore in the heart of the town.
Last week, Cllr Kelly received confirmation that the building will be disposed of by public auction and it is hoped it will be put on the market ‘by the autumn’. It was added that ‘no alternative state use’ could be found.
‘The main point here is that I don’t want to see this building falling into a state of dereliction,’ Cllr Kelly said. ‘What I would like to see though, is the OPW putting some kind of condition in the sale that this building cannot be left to sit idle any longer. I think it should be sold with some identifiable use in mind for it in place. If the new owners aren’t proactive, I’d hope that the council will stay on top of things in terms of derelict site levies etc.’
Cllr Kelly says that in the past he had been involved in discussions with a private entrepreneur who had the idea of creating a tourist hostel on the site, however, due to the fact that it’s a listed building with very thick walls, it’s unclear just how much interest the property will receive at auction.
‘I think there will be interest in it,’ he said. ‘But if there isn’t, I’d hope that the council might look at acquiring it and doing something. Either way, the OPW has to dispose of it and I’m happy to see some movement on it.’