Council is urged to 'step up' on Killala project

Mayo Co Council’s architects have been urged to “step up” efforts to bring derelict sites acquired by the local authority back into use amid the ongoing housing crisis.

Cllr Jarlath Munnelly highlighted a derelict site at Barrack Street in Killala that the council acquired via a compulsory purchase order (CPO) over two years ago and said “nothing has happened with it”.

Speaking at the October meeting of Ballina Municipal District, Cllr Munnelly said he was not blaming the council’s housing department but argued that the site needed to be prioritised by the architect team.

“I think it is a job the architects have to prioritise and I want to ask the Head of Housing to really hammer that home with them,” he said. “We have CPO’d a derelict site and the onus is on us to do something with it. There is a housing crisis, there is a need for housing in Killala like there is everywhere.” 

Cllr Munnelly said the site offers an opportunity to tackle dereliction while also provide much-needed housing in Killala. He pointed to other housing projects that are progressing in the municipal district, including the former Duffy's Bakery and Cheshire Home sites in Ballina, but noted that external contractors were driving these. He said the council’s internal architectural team needed to “step up”.

“We procured architects externally for those jobs, and they are driving the projects along. Our internal team needs to step up. The project in Killala is a small project,” he said, calling for clear plans and timelines to be put in place.

Director of Services for Housing Catherine McConnell acknowledged that the project had been ongoing for some time.

“The architect team are aware of it and have been working on schedules. There is a huge body of work across the county, and this [site] is certainly part of the schedule of work over the next couple of years,” she explained.

Ms McConnell said the council had an active CPO process but explained that some of the sites acquired were particularly challenging, including the Barrack Street property.

In response, Cllr Munnelly called for work to clear the site to begin this winter, warning that waiting until spring 2027 would be “too late”.

• Published as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.