'Progress being made" with derelict sites in Kells

There are at least 50 derelict sites in Kells and Maudlin Street, in particular, is an eyesore, according to a report to councillors at a meeting of Kells Town Council on Monday night. However, members heard that there were legal processes in train to deal with the various empty and dilapidated sites around the town and the major priority for 2009 was to get Maudlin Street sorted out. Senior Staff officer Noeleen Doggett said there were 50 sites under investigation, six of which were protected structures. She said 118 warning letters had been issued to owners, 51 legal notices had been sent out and 20 former derelict sites were now no longer in poor condition. Ms Doggett said Maudlin Street was an eyesore and dealing with it was a long and tedious process, but progress was being made. Cllr Tommy Grimes said that derelict sites were also a problem for people living either side of them and he said the message would have to go out that they were pursuing all these derelict buildings. Cllr Bryan Reilly said it appeared the process was starting to work. Cllr Brian Curran said it was a sad reality that some of the local authority houses were also becoming derelict because of a lack of interest by tenants and some officials and he warned that they could end up with dereliction within new estates. Cllr Ollie Sweeney congratulated staff on having the courage to do this job and commented that the biggest mistake ever made was bringing in tax relief for building in certain areas, as it led to a false valuation of property and left local people unable to afford the prices which were paid for property by developers. The mayor, Cllr Brian Collins, said they were continuing the process of tackling dereliction. He said that, with the completion of the M3, property in Kells would become more valuable - despite the recession - and that would help the situation. He also said that they should also look at using the Sanitation Act and Litter Act to deal with some of the premises. Earlier, Cllr Conor Ferguson said the property known as McNally"s on Maudlin Street should be demolished. He said it had been a source of trouble for some time now and he had repeatedly called for it to be secured. He added the emergency services were regularly called to the site, which was a major source of concern to local people as it was being used as a drinking and drug-taking den. 'Previously attempts were made to fence off the building but this was not secure and the only option now is for the building to go. The preservation order on the building should be revoked and every effort made to have the building demolished and redeveloped,' he said. Cllr Sean Drew said the building had become an eyesore and the scene of serious antisocial behaviour. 'This structure has been used as a drinking and drugs den, resulting in considerable disturbance for the residents of Maudlin Street and the adjoining Magdalene Court and Archdeaconry Glebe housing estates. Emergency services have repeatedly attended callouts to the building to put out fires and deal with youths in the vicinity of the building,' he said. 'A number of incidents have occurred around the derelict site in recent months, including a serious assault and some youths have sustained injuries due to the unsafe nature of the building and its grounds,' he added.