Housing: calls for action on 11 unused town centre dwellings

A local councillor has described 11 housing units lying idle in Claremorris town as a ‘crying disgrace.’

Cllr Richard Finn raised a notice of motion at last week’s area meeting calling for an update on the An Tintean building in James Street, Claremorris, which he said currently has three houses and eight apartments lying empty.

An Tintean originally housed the old cinema in Claremorris and it was demolished and rebuilt in the late 1990s. It was then converted to housing units which have become vacant in recent years.

Senior engineer Conrad Harley said the Council is currently working with their legal advisors on a potential acquisition from the building’s current owners.

Cllr Finn said this sort of development is exactly what the town is crying out for now and action needs to be taken.

“It is a crying disgrace that three houses and eight apartments are lying idle. This was regarded as state of the art when it opened and we are all the time held up trying to find something like this,” he said.

“This was ran into the ground and as a town and community, we’re not putting up with that anymore. Something has to be done and the only thing we can do is keep highlighting it.”

Director of Housing and the Claremorris MD Tom Gilligan said this was a ‘complex case’ because the company involved has since been struck off but added that it was a priority.

“We want to see it brought into use,” he said.