Achill Coastguard Station still at sea

Achill Coastguard Station still at sea


Anton McNulty

A RESOLUTION to the problem of the vacant Achill Coastguard Station is still weeks away, despite ongoing discussions between Mayo County Council and the Chief State Solicitor’s office.
The new Achill Coastguard Station has been left vacant since it was completed two years ago due to a legal dispute over the lease between Mayo County Council, which developed the building, and the Department of Transport, which oversees the Coastguard.
A resolution to the dispute was thought to have been found through a caretaker’s agreement between the council and the Department of Transport. However, an internal Coastguard e-mail, seen by The Mayo News, claims that Mayo County Council does not accede to the agreement.
Mr Peter Hynes, Director of Services at Mayo county Council, told The Mayo News that he would not comment on the e-mail. However, he stated that while the council would be happy to enter into a caretaker’s agreement, it is owed a substantial sum of money by the department and that it would only enter into such an agreement once that matter was settled.
Mr Hynes also said that discussions were ongoing between the State Solicitor’s office and the council and that the council is ‘very keen’ to resolve the issue. “We will be hoping for a resolution within weeks,” he said.