Council now to draw up its own plans for ‘eyesore’ town site
There may be an end in sight to the long-running saga of the derelict O'Neill's site in the centre of Athlone with confirmation this week that Westmeath County Council is to design and seek planning permission for a retail/residential building on the keynote site.
As has been the case at numerous meetings of Athlone Moate Municipal District, Fianna Fail Cllr Aengus O'Rourke once again sought a progress update on what he described at the November district meeting this week as “Athlone's biggest eyesore” and said the saga of the site had been “dragging on for 14 long years.”
The former O'Neill's pub and adjoining Finlay Auctioneering premises, located between Sean Costello Street and Mardyke Street in the centre of the town, were both destroyed by fire in December 2010, and have remained derelict ever since.
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, but the council's Director of Services Ambrose Clarke told this week's meeting that “no buyer” has come forward.
While he added that the council remains committed to the “sale and redevelopment” of the site, he reminded members that he made it clear as far back as last February that if the site was not sold the council planned to develop it themselves.
Mr Clarke said the council is in favour of the development of a retail/residential building, but Cllr John Dolan voiced his opposition to this plan and said there was “surely an opportunity” for the local authority to address some of the traffic issues which have beset this area of the town centre.
“We need to open our minds and solve some of the traffic problems we have by thinking outside the box,” said Cllr Dolan, “and with the space we have on the O'Neill's site surely we could come up with a plan to address some of the traffic issues.”
Cllr Aengus O'Rourke said one of the reasons why the O'Neill's site had attracted very little interest on the property market was because it is “a very tight, narrow and awkward little site to gain access to” and he urged the council to move ahead with a 'Plan B' for the site as a matter of urgency.
Ironically, the discussion on the future use of the O'Neill's site took place on the same day as the ribbon was cut on the official opening of the multi-million euro Athlone Town Centre Regeneration & Enhancement Project. Cllr O'Rourke remarked that it was “very appropriate” that it should be on the agenda for the municipal district meeting given that the site was located right in the centre of the regeneration works.
Cllr Paul Hogan said that given “the centrality” of the site, it would suit a public realm project, and he questioned the type of project being envisaged and wanted to know if any progress had been made or if the proposed project was “still in its infancy.”
The Acting Director of Services said the council was now proceeding to Plan B, which is to engage an architect to design a suitable building for the O'Neill's site, for which they will seek planning permission.
In relation to Cllr Dolan's proposal to use the site to solve some of the town centre's traffic problems, Ambrose Clarke said “I hear what you are saying, we have not looked at this issue but maybe we could also look at a Plan C.”
Mr Clarke said the O'Neill's site is “a prominent town centre site” and, as such, it would be nice to create “a prominent wow building.” He added that what is currently on the site “is certainly not wow.”