Neill O’Neill
SUBJECT to a contract being agreed and finalised, Westport Town Council and Mayo County Council will soon have a home to call their own in Westport. However, the vision that many councillors in the locality have for the 4.4-acre site may well be at odds with that of the Council executive, who say that approximately half the site will have to be redeveloped for commercial and residential use in order to raise finance for the refurbishment of the convent buildings.
Director of Services in the Westport Electoral Area, Mr Peter Hynes, also told The Mayo News that there are no immediate plans to relocate Westport’s public library to the site, but that there might be provision for this in the future as the potential exists to expand the site.
The announcement of the conditional purchase came in a letter to the 31 county councillors from County Manager Des Mahon on August 1, outlining that a deposit on a purchase price of €3.95 million had been paid, and that the deal was subject to a contract being approved. One of the stipulations is that a full structural appraisal on the buildings at the site must be carried out.
Vacated by the Mercy Order in June, the sale does not include the Scoil Pádraig building and grounds, and the likelihood at present is that most of the current buildings will be retained, along with two graveyards.
Peter Hynes said that significant money would need to be found to revamp and alter the buildings internally, and to install the infrastructure needed by Council staff. Chief among these concerns is the need to rewire the entire buildings for electrical and communication purposes. He said the Council is anxious to get moving on the project and the best case scenario in terms of a completion date would be two years from now.
“The reality is that in order to make economic sense of any possible civic centre project we will have to develop the land to the rear of the main convent building,” he said. “This project won’t come cheap but it will be worth it. We see this as an exciting project with a lot of potential and aim to provide a civic centre along the lines of the one in Belmullet which will combine as many public services in one place as possible. We are looking forward to providing a new lease of life for what has always been an important site in Westport.”
Welcoming the news, the only councillor with a seat on both councils – Margaret Adams – said she was delighted that a deposit had been placed on the convent. Having flagged the potential of the site over ten years ago, she complimented the County Manager and Town Manager for the way in which they swiftly dealt with the matter.
“The acquisition of this building is very important, not alone for the Council, but for the people of Westport, many of whom have been anxiously waiting and hoping that this property would remain in public ownership,” she said. “I look forward to plans for this property emerging and to having a very real input in the redevelopment of the site, together with my fellow County Council and Town Council colleagues.”
