Eoghan Dalton Reports
The issue of derelict buildings was once again highlighted in the past week, with concern signalled over the use of a number of sites as a rubbish dump and worse.Sites on Hennessy’s Road and Penrose Lane came in for mention.Cllr Donal Barry (Ind) said the collapse of 20m of the wall surrounding the former Little Sisters Care Home on Hennessy’s Road several years ago has resulted in issues building up.
This is partly thanks to trees behind the wall becoming overgrown and now blocking the footpath.
“As the wall has not been repaired,” Cllr Barry told the July sitting of the Metropolitan District, “there is a serious concern that the wall will collapse out onto the footpath and roadway.”
Waterford City Fire Service responded to a fire at a vacant unit at Penrose Quay last Tuesday evening. Cllr Donal Barry raised concerns about the site at last week’s Metropolitan meeting
He added that hundreds of people use the footpath on a daily basis, in particular schoolchildren going to Mount Sion.The wall has been exposed to the weather and has been worsening over time. “Cracks are evident in several parts of the structure.”“In addition the area has become a place of illegal dumping rubbish which is totally unacceptable. Bags of refuse, disused clothing, bottles, cans etc all found,” said Cllr Barry, who was one of the newly elected councillors following the Local Elections last May.
“It may very well constitute a danger under the Derelict Sites Act and the Local Government Sanitary Services Act 1964,” he added.“So there is a duty of care there on the landowner – under the Derelict Sites Act – not to allow the property or part thereof to become a derelict site and to ensure all necessary steps are taken to rectify this.”The Little Sisters sold the site however it remains up for sale by its new owners. There were once plans to use the grounds as an Educate Together school. The local authority told Cllr Barry they will get their litter inspectors to issue a notice to the owners of the site to carry out repair work.
Meanwhile, an unfinished retail unit in Penrose Lane was the location of a fire in the past week.
The fire broke out last Tuesday 16 July at around 6.30pm. “Our fire crews brought the blaze under control, and thankfully, no injuries,” said Cllr Barry. The door at the unit has been knocked in and is used for illegal dumping of rubbish. Cllr Barry said he understood that there are also a number of mattresses in the space. Above the unit, meanwhile, are hundreds of tenants in the apartment block.