Mayo architects told to 'step-up' and progress Killala housing project

Architects working within the housing section of Mayo County Council need to 'step up' and make progress on a derelict site earmarked for housing in Killala according to a local councillor.

Fine Gael councillor Jarlath Munnelly criticised the lack of progress made in advancing a housing project on a derelict site in Barrack Street in Killala which was acquired by compulsory purchase order (CPO) by Mayo County Council over two years ago.

Speaking at the monthly meeting of the Ballina Municipal District, the Killala-based councillor said that the architecture team in Mayo County Council needed to 'step up' and make progress on the project.

“I think it's a job that architects really have to prioritise and we have to ask our head of housing to really hammer that home with them,” Cllr Munnelly said at the meeting.

“We have CPO'd a derelict site, and there's an onus on us to do something with it. There was a sketch layout shown to me probably over two years ago, and it hasn't progressed. This is a small project and there's a housing crisis and there's a need for housing in Killala.”

Cllr Munnelly said that positive projects on housing in the Ballina Municipal District such as the Duffy's Bakery site and Cheshire Home site in Ballina have all been driven by external architects and 'they are driving those projects along'.“I think our internal team needs to step up. This project plan is a small project, and the internal architects need to step up. I'd like to get a proper answer to this at some point with some proper guidelines,” he told the meeting.

In responding to Cllr Munnelly's comments, Director of Services, Catherine McConnell stressed that the team of architects in Mayo County Council are aware of the project but they already have a 'huge body of work' to go through across the county.

“As you can imagine, we have a huge body of work across the entire county and it certainly is part of the schedule of work over the next couple of years and by that I mean two to three years to bring that to fruition.

“We had a very active CPO process to pick up sites, but sometimes those sites are extremely challenging but it is on the work program for the next couple of years,” she said.

Cllr Munnelly pointed that there was a lot of vegetation around the building in question and wanted it dealt with before the spring.

Meanwhile, Cllr Munnelly praised the work done by Mayo County Council staff and the Killala community in submitting an application for Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) funding for the Tower Hub project in Killala.

The former Tower Bar building located on Market Street in Killala was purchased by the Killala Community Council after the pub was put up for sale in 2021. They later announced plans to transform the building into a community hub which will include a library space, training space, retail and multi-purpose space and in June planning permission was approved by Mayo County Council.

The project is expected to cost in the region of €2 million and Cllr Munnelly said he was hoping that funding for the project will be approved.

“Hopefully we know by the end of the year,” he said. “At its core, it is regenerating that building and creating a visitor experience and a building that can be used by the local community as well. It will be a real catalyst for Killlala.

“It's a big objective of the town centre first plan for Killala and having something that will utilise the heritage of the town and that will give visitors something to do. Over the summer months, a lot of work was spent in the office, getting that application ready and I want to thank everybody who was involved in it. Hopefully we have a positive outcome.”