UPDATE: ‘Profound disappointment’ - Mayo County Council reacts to town centre fire

The impact and damage caused by a fire last night at the former Duffy’s Bakery site on the Foxford Road in Ballina is currently being assessed by Mayo County Council. 

Traffic management at the location will remain in place until structural assessments are completed on the buildings. 

The circumstances surrounding the cause of the fire are currently being investigated by An Garda Siochána.

The blaze took place at the site of a planned development, which was approved last week by the Ballina Municipal District.

This would have seen construction of 31 own-door-access apartments, comprising of 3 No, three-bed units; 14 No, two bed units, 14 No, one-bed units along with the refurbishment of the existing terrace at  5-7 Raheen Row.

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In a statement this morning, the council expressed its “profound disappointment” and went on to state that it  “can categorically state that this property was only ever intended to provide housing for persons on the Mayo County Council Social Housing list.”

There are currently over 600 people on the housing list in the Ballina area.

The Housing Section of Mayo County Council are now assessing the impact of the destruction of the fire and will begin working on a timeframe or the feasibility of delivering on the recently approved 31-unit housing scheme and providing much needed homes for those on the social housing list. 

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The council wishes to thank the Mayo Fire Service and other emergency services for their swift response to the fire, which they brought under control and ensured that damage was kept to a minimum.