No buyer for 'eyesore' site in middle of new Athlone streetscape

As work continues on a multi-million euro streetscape project in Athlone, the council has admitted there's been no resolution to the 'eyesore' O'Neill's pub site in the heart of the area where the work is being carried out.

Because of this, the local authority is now planning to erect hoarding in an effort to conceal the appearance of the derelict site when the current streetscape work concludes next April.

"There will be hoarding going up. We're looking at using imagery to enhance the appearance of (the O'Neill's site) in the short term," council official Dermot Killeen told a meeting on Monday.

Athlone councillors praised the progress made on the streetscape project in general, welcoming in particular the "complete transformation" of Mardyke Street.

However, Cllr Aengus O'Rourke said the uncertainty around the former O'Neill's pub area was "the elephant in the room," adding that it looked "as unsightly today as it did 12 years ago".

The pub and adjoining Finlay auctioneering premises were both destroyed in a fire in December 2010.

The council bought the site in recent years and subsequently advertised it for sale as a "unique development opportunity" in a high-profile location. Offers in the region of €300,000 were sought by real estate firm Avison Young.

In an update on Monday, council director of services Barry Kehoe said the site had gone "sale agreed" at one stage but the sale ultimately didn't happen.

"It is really disappointing that this (streetscape) project will be finished, and people will be approaching it from the east, south and north, and this derelict site will still be there," he said.

Mr Kehoe said "extensive efforts" had been made to market the site and "provide guidance" to potential purchasers.

"It is still on the market, and we're considering various options at this point," he said.

One possible option is that the council would go through the planning process itself for a new building development on the site, and would then try to sell it with planning approval already in place "to give a bit more certainty" to possible purchasers.

Mr Kehoe added that this would take time and resources, and the council was already "fairly stretched" with the other projects and initiatives it was undertaking

"But it is something we're considering, because we share your concern (about the site) after all these years," he told councillors.

In the meantime, he said, the council would be putting up hoarding "to provide some level of attractive frontage" in the area.

Cllr O'Rourke asked if price was a factor in the sale not happening, and questioned whether the council was being flexible enough with potential purchasers.

However, Mr Kehoe said he didn't believe price was the stumbling block. "It's quite a tight site, and restricted in terms of its development.

"We aren't arguing over the price. It's a question of getting somebody to take on the development," he said, adding that the council continued to have an "open door" in this regard.

"We are absolutely open to offers and proposals," he said.

The streetscape project as a whole has been underway for the last eight months.

In his update at this week's meeting of the Athlone Moate Municipal District, Dermot Killeen, Senior Executive Engineer with the council's Regeneration Project Team, said new traffic signal systems would be put in place at both the Mardyke Street junction and the nearby Sean Costello Street junction in the weeks ahead.

These new sets of traffic signals would be interconnected, he said. "They will communicate with each other in terms of the sequencing".

After being told that the streetscape work on Mardyke Street was "largely complete," the councillors praised its new look.

"Mardyke Street has undergone an amazing transformation and we've seen the positive effects that has had on the street," said Cllr O'Rourke, while Cllr Hogan agreed that the work there had been done to "a very high standard".

The streetscape works are to be "paused" in early December, to lessen their impact on pre-Christmas trade.

The project, which is being carried out on behalf of the council by contractor John Cradock Ltd, has a scheduled completion date of next April.