Three vacant Waterford garda stations lying idle for up to 15 years still classified as operational
Three Garda stations across the Comeragh district are still classified as operational despite having sat vacant for decades. Stock image
Three vacant Garda barracks located in Kill, Lemybrien and Rathgormack are unable to be renovated because they’re still classed as operational Garda facilities.
Fine Gael Councillor Liam Brazil raised the issue in a Comeragh district council meeting, claiming the three sites have sat vacant for decades.
Waterford City and County Council’s Director of Services for Housing, Seamus De Faoite, received correspondence from the OPW outlining their inability to develop because of the operational status of the facilities.
Reading from an OPW statement, Mr. De Faoite said: “As An Gardaí Síochána have not advised the OPW that any of these properties are surplus to requirements, the OPW is not in a position to plan for the conversion or reuse of the properties listed.”
He said he’d communicate with An Gardaí Síochána to examine the path forward into developing the vacant properties.
“There’s an old barracks in Lemybrien, it’s a fine two-storey building. It’s been lying idle for the past 15 years,” Cllr. Brazil told the .
The OPW had previously completed works in the Lemybrien Garda Station in 2022, repainting the exterior. No further work has been carried out since.
Cllr. Brazil said no indication was given by the OPW on why they had discontinued the work, branding it “a scandal”.
An Gardaí Síochána had not responded to a request for comment at the time of writing.
A response received by the Waterford News & Star from the OPW stated: "An Garda Síochána (AGS) has not advised OPW that the garda stations at Kill, Lemybrien and Rathgormack are surplus to requirements and therefore remain under the management of AGS. Until advised by AGS that these properties are surplus to requirements, the OPW is not in a position to plan for their future use."
Cllr Brazil said: “I hope something could be done with them, not lying idle…They’re costing the state money, where we could have people inside them.
“We need everyone pulling together, the real problem is every department is doing their own thing and there’s no one doing fecking nothing behind it all.”
Cllr. Brazil said developing the vacant properties were a simple means to easing housing demand.
