A former nuns convent has been placed on the Derelict Sites Register by Laois County Council.
The old Presentation convent in question is located in the middle of Stradbally and has been vacant now for decades.
Its deteriorating condition has long been a bone of contention for Stradbally based Councillor Paschal McEvoy who raised the issue at a recent meeting of the Graiguecullen-Portarlington District.
He informed the meeting that the property in question had recently been purchased but no plans for development had been lodged as yet.
David O’Hara, Senior Planner, confirmed that the old convent is on the register and a 7% levy on the market value of the property has been issued to the registered to the owner.
While welcoming this news, Cllr McEvoy hopes that something will be done with the property soon as he says it is in a very dangerous state.
He said: “When the nuns left the convent they should have handed it over to the parish.
“That is what was done in Mountrath and we all see what a fabulous facility they have over there.
“It is shameful that it wasn’t handed over to the people of Stradbally when the nuns were vacating it.
“Instead, it was sold and I am not having a pop at the new owner as they only recently purchased it.
“I believe they intend to build apartments but I haven’t seen any plans for that yet.
“But the reality now is that someone is going to be killed there with the way it is left. It is simply falling down.
“So I really hope the new owner will do something with it in the next 12 months.”
Seconding the motion, Independent Aisling Moran said the situation is “getting worse day by day.
“There are big gardens out the back that are completely overgrown too which is a big shame.”
Cllr Aidan Mullins of Sinn Fein says a similar situation is in place in Portarlington.
He said: “I was seven years waiting to get the old AIB building onto the register.
“I think maybe the 7% levy should increase each year in a bid to encourage development on these sites.”
In a separate motion, Cllr McEvoy asked that Cremorgan Road in Timahoe be included in the 2024 resurfacing programme.
He said: “This road is in a desperate state. I feel that Timahoe has been left behind in recent years when these types of works are being carried out.”
Engineer Philip McVeigh said this would be considered for the next roads programme.
Finally, Cllr McEvoy asked that works be carried out on the bridge at Fossey in Timahoe. He says that there is considerable flooding in the area.
Cllr McEvoy said: “The pipe that is there is too small to take the volume of water.
“The bridge is damaged and there is about 10 foot of water in it. If an animal or child fell into it, it would be dangerous.
“This is a health and safety issue.”
Engineer Philip McVeigh said that the cost of these works would be around €25,000 and the Council had applied for funding.
But if that application is unsuccessful, engineer McVeigh is confident the work could be done using the Council’s own resources.
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