Council approves sale of derelict Shinrone building

Offaly County Council reached a milestone in its bid to tackle derelict sites in towns and villages across the county when the sale of a council-owned derelict property in Shinrone was approved by members at their November monthly meeting last week.

Cllr Peter Ormond noted that the building, which is a protected structure, was “the first property” to be sold under the CPO (Compulsory Purchase Order) process, and he expressed hope that it would be “brought back into use” by the new owners.

The meeting sought the approval of members for the disposal of a property situated on 0.266 acres of land at Main Street, Shinrone, to a Tipperary-based purchaser who proposes to take the building out of dereliction and activate it for “habitual accommodation units” in Shinrone village.

Director of Services, Andrew Murray, told members that the derelict property was acquired by the council compulsorily under the Derelict Sites Act in August 2024, and the council was proposing to sell it for the sum of €140,000.

He also said that the expression of interest to purchase the property was received from the prospective purchaser in July of this year via “a competitive invitation process” and that the land is zoned as existing residential in local area plans. Mr Murray said the council is “starting to unlock” a number of derelict properties across the county, but cautioned that it is “a huge job” to acquire them and “get them over the line.”

“We have a lot of derelict buildings around the county and it's great to see the regen team are startng the process of tackling the issue of dereliction” said council cathaoirleach, Cllr John Leahy.

Figures contained in the Statutory Audit Report to members for the year ending December 31, 2024, revealed that, while the number of derelict site invoices issued for the past two years totalled €265,000, the amount collected was just €8,000.

The report also noted that 23 properties were currently listed on the council's Derelict Sites Register, 11 of which were unregistered while there were a further seven where owner enquiries were “ongoing.”

A written response from Offaly County Council chief executive, Anna Marie Delaney, said “a new process” for unpaid invoices was established this year and a 'vacancy team' was now in place. Its emphasis is on “engagement with owners (where possible)” to employ the use of grants to make properties non-derelict. “The historic levies will then be sought at point-of-sale or when the building is rendered non-derelict,” she said, adding that the primary focus of the vacancy team and the council was on successfully reactivating properties, “as opposed to the collection of levies.”