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Irish Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Daily Mirror
Council accused of breaching department rules with controversial sale of site
Mayo County Council insists that it complied with all legal requirements in relation to the controversial sale of a site in Westport following accusations that it breached department rules and the Public Spending Code. A protest took place outside the council's offices last week as elected members approved plans to sell land in the town centre to The Wyatt Hotel Unlimited for €670,000. The site was not advertised for sale, and only one valuation was obtained before the transaction was agreed. A motion to delay the sale pending a public consultation was defeated at last week's council meeting. However, a councillor has now called on the disposal of the site to be halted, claiming that the local authority breached both department rules and the Public Spending Code in its 'rush' to sell the property. Michael Kilcoyne said he was 'utterly shocked' that the local authority did not comply with legal requirements in respect of the proposed sale, and the deal should be paused pending a full inquiry. Under a 2016 circular, public authorities are required to place lands on the State Property Register before selling them. This allows other agencies to express interest in the properties for certain uses, such as housing. The Public Spending Code also requires public authorities to prepare a business case for the disposal of properties. Mr Kilcoyne claims that a short document circulated to some elected members last month fell far short of the requirements for a business case under the code. Asked whether the site in Westport had been placed on the State Property Register as required under the departmental circular, Mayo County Council said it was 'satisfied that the proposed disposal was conducted in accordance with relevant guidance'. Mr Kilcoyne said the sale of the site appeared to have been 'very rushed', adding: 'It didn't go to the market at all.' 'I was just amazed that it wasn't considered for housing, particularly when there are over 200 people in Mayo who are in emergency accommodation. 'I am utterly shocked that the council didn't comply with the legal requirements,' he said. Speaking at last week's meeting, Councillor Peter Flynn said comments by members of the public about 'corruption and shady deals' in relation to the sale were 'really off the mark'. Chief Executive Kevin Kelly asserted that there had been no obligation to advertise the land for sale, adding: 'There is nothing untoward in respect of this proposal or this transaction'. A spokesperson for Mayo County Council said the sale of the land represented 'a significant opportunity to revitalise the area, providing economic stimulation and increased visitor numbers to the locality'. They said the proposal would also ensure that public amenity space would be provided. A business case was circulated to elected members from the relevant municipal district last month, the spokesperson added. 'Following an independent valuation, agreement was reached on the sale of the subject lands for a total consideration of €670,000. In addition to the purchase price, the purchaser has committed a further €280,000 towards the co-development of the adjoining public amenity area, reflecting a collaborative approach to enhancing local infrastructure.' Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
RTÉ News
22-07-2025
- RTÉ News
'Profound disappointment' after Mayo social housing fire
Mayo County Council has expressed its "profound disappointment" following a fire at a site earmarked for social housing in Ballina overnight. The fire occurred at the former Duffy's Bakery site on the Foxford Road in Ballina yesterday evening. Gardaí and fire services attended the fire at around 9.15pm, with the fire being brought under control in the hours following. Mayo County Council said it can "categorically state" that the property was only ever intended to provide housing for persons on the Mayo County Council social housing list. Posts on social media had incorrectly claimed that the site was to be used to house International Protection applicants. The council said the development would see the construction of 31 own-door-access apartments as well as the refurbishment of the terraced houses at numbers 5 to 7 Raheen Row. The terraced buildings on Raheen Row were those affected by the fire last night. "This development was intended to provide own door accommodation for the growing section of the population who are seeking one- and two-bedroom units located within walking distance of the town centre, with the facilities and services that come with such a location. "At their July meeting held last week, the elected members of the Ballina Municipal District approved the development of the scheme which would have provided 31 new homes to families and persons on the housing list. At present there are 631 on the housing list in the Ballina Municipal District," the council said in a statement. The council said its housing section is assessing the impact of the fire. It said it is also now assessing the feasibility of delivering the scheme and the timeframe for providing "much needed homes for those on the housing list". The council said that traffic management will remain in place near the site until structural assessments are completed on the buildings. The scene has been preserved following the fire and a technical examination will be conducted in due course. No injuries have been reported, gardaí said.
The Journal
22-07-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Council houses set alight in Mayo after incorrect claims they would accommodate asylum seekers
TWO HOUSES OWNED by Mayo County Council went up in flames last night, following incorrect reports they would be used to accommodate asylum seekers. The two properties were on Kevin Barry Street in Ballina, and were set alight at around 9pm. Gardaí and fire services attended the scene at approximately 9.15pm, according to a statement. No injuries were reported. Advertisement 'The scene is preserved and a technical examination will be conducted in due course,' a garda spokesperson said. The two houses had recently been approved for refurbishment to be used as social housing, a spokesman for the council confirmed. The fire follows erroneous reports on social media that the properties damaged by the fire would be given to International Protection applicants. Last week, the Western People reported that councillors in Ballina agreed to grant planning permission for 31 new social housing units at the site. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Independent
22-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
County Mayo short 90 homes as social housing targets missed by 23%
The statistics, released by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, show that of a target of 395 houses, only 304 were built. The issue was raised by Cllr Michael Kilcoyne at the last meeting of Mayo County Council where he questioned management on the shortfall. 'You achieved 77% of the target in a county where we have over 200 people in emergency accommodation. I think it's a reasonable question to ask, why did you miss the target by so much?' His question was aimed at the Director of Services Tom Gilligan, who stated that Mayo County Council did deliver on its targets. However, the shortfall arose in contributions from the Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs). Under the Housing For All plan, local authorities are responsible for 60pc of new-build social houses, while AHBs are responsible for the remaining 40pc. Housing can be built directly by a local authority or an AHB, alternatively it can be delivered through turnkey, the purchasing of new housing units from private developers. 'In Mayo our target was 395 houses. The council itself, and through turnkey, delivered 63% of that, a total of 250. The AHB sector for that three-year period delivered 38 units, and 16 units were delivered through part five,' said Mr Gilligan Part five refers to a part of the planning legislation that allows local authorities to purchase a percentage of land for housing development where planning permission has already been granted. They can purchase up to 20pc of the land at market value and use it to deliver social and affordable housing. Mr Gilligan continued, 'The reality is that in the last three years or so, the council itself delivered. The AHBs did not deliver. I've raised this on numerous occasions, outlined it to the members, and I've also raised it with the department. Unfortunately we have a very low level of activity here in relation to AHBs.' In response to this, Cllr Kilcoyne said: 'Over the three-year period, the number of houses - whether it was the man on the moon, Santa Claus, the council or the AHBs who built them - were 90 short.' Speaking to the Irish Independent after the meeting, Cllr Kilcoyne expanded on this remark: 'I don't need excuses, I just want it corrected and done. It seems to me the local authority always has somebody else to blame except themselves. Management in Mayo County Council always puts forward whatever is necessary to avoid taking the blame, 'I regard the excuse given as a flimsy excuse. The fact is, the management of Mayo County Council, for whatever reason, missed their target by 90 houses. You can blame everybody else, the storm, Christmas, the weather, or the man on the moon. At the end of the day they are the housing authority.' The Irish Independent also spoke to Mr Gilligan after the meeting. He reiterated that the council is responsible for 60pc of new-build social houses, they delivered 63pc of their target, and 77pc of the overall target was achieved. 'Unfortunately, the delivery levels in Mayo by the AHB sector have not yet reached the scale required to meet our ambitious housing targets. We remain committed to achieving our targets overall and working with various stakeholders in order for that to happen,' he said. Mr Gilligan pointed out that western counties are not attracting the same attention from large-scale AHBs as those on the east coast, 'As regards the large AHBs, they have concentrated on the urban centres and the larger local authorities, particularly on the east coast. I would say it's a situation where the population demand is higher, the economies are of scale, developments are viable and there is greater access to infrastructure services, 'Rural and regional areas like Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim often fall outside their core delivery focus, which is regrettable.' The statistics show that in Sligo, 55pc of its 270 house target was met. Of the 149 houses that were built, 29 were delivered by AHBs. Meaning they produced only 19pc of their 40pc build target. In contrast, Meath had a target of 832 houses but built 1,405, achieving 168pc of its target. Of these, AHBs produced 682 houses. In Laois, the target was 359 houses, but 670 were built, smashing the target by 187pc. AHBs produced 395 of these houses in Laois. For comparison, Mayo's overall target for 2022-2024 was also 395. Mr Gilligan raised the issue with the Department for Housing, he said that it has been acknowledged by them, 'I'm hopeful that as part of the new Housing For All plan that will be coming out in September, there will be more emphasis on the larger AHBs and they will develop and build more houses here in the west of Ireland, 'There is a huge need here, we have the same housing crisis as the rest of the country.' He noted that housing bodies Tuath and Co-Operative Housing Ireland are working on projects in the county, but mentioned it would be great to get other large-scale AHBs such as Respond and Clúid, to turn their attention to Mayo. In response to Cllr Kilcoyne's criticism that the council was placing blame elsewhere, and his description of the AHBs explanation as a "flimsy excuse', Mr Gilligan said: 'I'm not into the blame game myself, it's not about trying to portion blame or demonise anyone in the sector. We really do want to work collaboratively with housing bodies to deliver, 'Cllr Kilcoyne is right, we do have a housing crisis, we do have people on our housing list, we have people who are in emergency accommodation and we want to provide long term sustainable housing for people. We all have to get involved in order to make that happen, 'If you look in relation to a tripod, we are one leg of that. We need the other two legs as well. The AHBs and part five.' In county Leitrim, AHBs produced zero houses between 2022 - 2024, but the county still managed 98pc of its 82 house target. Leitrim County Council built 73 houses meeting 89pc of the 60pc target. The remaining seven houses were delivered through part five. Cllr Kilcoyne called on Mayo County Council to take responsibility for housing delivery. The statistics from Leitrim suggest their council took on the responsibility Cllr Kilcoyne believes is needed in Mayo.
Irish Independent
19-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Councillors slam ‘shady deal' claims and ‘libellous' posts as Westport land sale is approved
The sale of the green area had become a controversial topic, and a social media campaign was launched by the Westport Family and Community Resource Centre to oppose the sale, the meeting was told.. The controversies continued when, in the meeting, local councillors claimed that some of the campaigners were spreading misinformation about the sale and making libellous statements online. The land, located off Church Lane in Westport, was agreed for sale in June by the Westport and Belmullet Municipal District. The sale will allow the Wyatt Hotel to add 50 rooms and an underground carpark with 106 spaces. An additional €280,000 will be allocated to Mayo County Council, with this contribution specifically ring-fenced for the development and improvement of a playground in the area. Cllr Peter Flynn proposed the sale in the meeting. He addressed the online scrutiny and insisted that there was nothing suspicious about the sale. 'We've heard comments about corruption, about shady deals with business people, and undercover deals. I want to address this here and now because it's really way off the mark. Everything that has been done to date in relation to this particular sale has gone through the exact same process as any other section 183. The Kavanagh family owns the Wyatt Hotel and other businesses in the Westport area. Cllr Flynn stated that there had been a two-year period of negotiation between the family and the council. 'They have developed an absolutely brilliant supermarket in our town centre. Similarly with the Wyatt Hotel, they have expanded it into one of the finest hotels in the region. They are bringing people back into the town centre, encouraging the whole vibrancy in the town centre, and ensuring that other businesses are benefiting from people coming into the town year round,' Cllr Brendan Mulroy seconded the proposal for the sale of the land. He claimed that a lot of the content that had been put on social media was 'libellous' and said 'a lot of people need to reflect on what they're putting out there.' 'Through this campaign and particularly over the last couple of days, I have been accused of having no interest in the youth of Westport and not representing them. I take offense to that, I was a child of Westport, and I grew up in Westport town. Some of the commentary on the Facebook pages has been nothing short of shocking, there's doubt being cast on this deal, there's doubt being cast on the elected representatives.' He continued: 'If we can get a hotel with 50 bedrooms and 100+ parking spaces and €280,0000 to go back into the community, that's what you call looking after your community. We will sit down and we will talk to any group, but what we will not do is be intimidated, shouted at, roared at, or have assertions cast upon people.' In the meeting, a counter proposal was made by Cllr John O'Malley. While he didn't disapprove of the sale, he proposed a delay in the decision on the grounds that there was not enough information given to the public. He said: 'I propose that we have to meet with the people and have a consultation with them, as far as I'm concerned, they're not happy. We need to sit down and have a consultation with them so they know exactly what's happening.' The counter proposal was supported by Cllr Michael Kilcoyne, who said: 'Defer this today, let the local community hold these people elected, sit down and discuss it. At the next council meeting, put it back on the agenda.' Cllr Mulroy and Cllr Flynn both disputed the argument to defer the vote by eight weeks, arguing that it would only give more time to damage the reputation of the sale, the families involved, and the council as well. Cllr Flynn pointed out that the sale will still require planning permission and urged anyone with objections to make them known during this stage. Before the council chamber voted on the proposal, the Chief Executive of Mayo County Council, Kevin Kelly, assured the people that the proper statutory process for a section 183 had been followed and that the information would not usually be made public until a statutory notice is issued. He continued: 'I think it's very important that it's stated that there is nothing untoward in respect of this proposal or this transaction. In a scenario where you are getting full market value, a significant community gain in terms of additional financial resources, parking, and hotel bedroom spaces. To me, it's an absolute no-brainer in terms of a proposal, 'If we could make every proposal going before you as attractive as that, we would have a very easy life,' he joked. The counter proposal to defer the sale of the land until September with the promise of giving more information to the local community during this time, was defeated 18 votes to seven with one. The vote to allow the proposal and dispose of the land was accepted 22 votes to two with three abstentions. This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
