Town's ‘tumbledown' buildings criticised

BY JACKIE KEOGH

CORK County Council has been taken to task over the dilapidated state of three of its buildings in Castletownbere.

Speaking at a meeting of the West Cork Municipal District in Dunmanway on Monday, Cllr Danny Collins (Ind) said: ‘It is very disheartening for the people of Castletownbere – who do their best to maintain their own properties – to see three buildings owned by Cork County Council left in such a tumbledown state.’

Two of the buildings – a Council shed and a property that is being rented by Health Service Executive (HSE) – are located on Main Street, and the third, the fire station, is located in the town square.

Cllr Collins said: ‘The Council shed has a plaque on it dated 1899 and it looks as if the building hasn’t seen a lick of paint since then. The building beside it, which is leased by the HSE, is also in a very sad state, and the fire station has drawn unfavourable comment from the adjudicators in the tidy town’s report.’

Cllr Collins said he had raised the issue with the area engineer but was told that despite the completion of a structural survey, no works would be carried out until funding became available. 

He said the area engineer also made the point that the area office does not have the resources to carry out any improvement works. But Cllr Collins was adamant: ‘The condition of these buildings – or any buildings owned by a public authority – cannot be tolerated.’ He said something must be done even if it is just ‘a power wash, or a lick of paint.’

Cllr Patrick Gerard Murphy (FF) agreed. He said: ‘It is a bit embarrassing for us to be the worst offenders.’