Government sharply criticised for stance on local dereliction
The Government was criticised for not helping tackle dereliction of former garda barracks in Waterford. Stock image
Tánaiste and finance minister Simon Harris directed scathing criticism at local authorities recently, saying that Councils across the country haven't been doing enough to tackle dereliction.
"The Government is going to have to step in now, we're going to have to take this over. We can't leave it to the local authorities because they have failed in their job to administer the derelict sites levy," Harris said.
In response to these comments, a Waterford councillor directed criticism back onto the Tánaiste last week, saying that the Government "aren’t doing their own job" when it comes to bringing vacant garda stations in Waterford back into use.
The former garda barracks in Kill, Lemybrien, Rathgormack and Kilmeaden have been a sharp thorn in the side of local councillors in the Comeragh district of Waterford for years. The OPW (Office of Public Works) had previously asserted that the four buildings are still operational as Garda stations and therefore cannot be repurposed.
Waterford councillor Liam Brazil said that Government is not doing enough to resolve this situation.
“I saw the minister saying that counties aren’t collecting money for derelict sites. If the Minister is so strong on this, I wonder why he won’t go look at the four barracks lying idle with the past 20 years.
“If the Government are so good and so strong as to come out and say that Councils have derelict buildings in their county, why are the Government themselves allowing the OPW to allow having these derelict buildings here in our little Comeragh district?"
Providing updates on the status of the barracks, Mr. Dónal O’Murchadha, Senior Executive Officer for Housing in Waterford, said last week that the Council’s housing department has been engaging with gardaí locally and with the OPW with a view to potentially transforming the barracks into housing.
