Council parks its problem as space for 43 cars opens up
Cllr. Paddy Kavanagh cuts the tape on the new car park at Island Rd, watched by Cllr. Pat Coady, Cllr. Jackser Owens, Paddy Kavanagh, Cllr. Sean Doyle, Cllr. Tom Moorehouse and Town Clerk Padraig O'Gorman.
Wednesday August 25 2010
ENNISCORTHY Town Council has written off €165,000 of debt in exchange for a new car park on the Island Road. The local authority dropped its derelict sites charge on the former malt works after reaching a five-year deal with businessman Pat 'Widgie' Murphy.
'The owner is getting rid of a problem site and we are getting 43 parking spaces,' said town clerk Padraig O'Gorman. 'It's a win win.'
Motorists will be allowed to leave their vehicles for the day in the site, which once housed the notorious 'bins' (or grain silos) so much disliked by tidy towns adjudicators, for a €2 charge. The opening ceremony was attended by elected members of Enniscorthy Town Council but Pat Murphy was not present.
Mr. Murphy has had the expense of tidying up the empty old building with its magnificent old stonework to make it presentable.
Council officials have experienced difficulties in collecting levies imposed under dereliction legislation.
Enniscorthy T.C. reached an agreement with Anton Treacy last year which spared the hotelier and developer dereliction levies on the burnt out MurphyFlood's hotel site. Speaking on Monday, the town clerk said that the MurphyFlood's car park is doing good business at weekends but is quiet mid-week.
