Deputy says vacant and derelict properties present a major opportunity to deliver much-needed housing and drive regeneration
Fine Gael TD for Cork North West, Deputy John Paul O’Shea, has called on Cork County Council to move quickly to explore the purchase of the old library building in Kanturk, along with neighbouring properties which are currently lying idle and derelict.
Deputy O’Shea said the properties, which are actively for sale, present an ideal opportunity for Cork County Council to acquire a strategically important town-centre site and develop much-needed housing in the heart of Kanturk.
“The old library building and the neighbouring properties represent a significant opportunity for Kanturk. These are town-centre sites which are currently underutilised, and I believe Cork County Council should seriously examine the possibility of purchasing them while they are on the market.
“The location is exceptional. The site is right in the centre of Kanturk and sits alongside the River Allow, providing an ideal setting for a high-quality town-centre housing development.
“We have a pressing need for additional housing, but we also need to make better use of vacant and derelict properties within our towns. Developing this site would allow us to achieve both objectives while breathing new life into an important part of Kanturk.
“This is a particularly important opportunity because these properties are now actively for sale. I believe the Council should engage with the owners and assess whether an acquisition can be progressed.”
Deputy O’Shea said the acquisition and redevelopment of the properties could also play a significant role in delivering on the Kanturk Town Regeneration Plan, which was developed by Cork County Council in consultation with the local community.
“The Kanturk Town Regeneration Plan was developed with the community, and we now need to see opportunities identified within that plan being progressed.
“The redevelopment of this site could become a key part of the regeneration of Kanturk. It would bring new residents into the town centre, support local businesses, make better use of an existing town-centre location and transform properties that are currently idle and derelict.
“This is exactly the type of opportunity that a town regeneration plan should seek to capture.
“I am therefore calling on Cork County Council to engage with the owners and assess the feasibility of acquiring the old library and the neighbouring properties. If acquired, the Council should then examine how the site could be brought forward for a high-quality town-centre housing development, while respecting the character of Kanturk and making the most of its riverside location.”
Kanturk Town Centre Regeneration Plan
Local Fine Gael Councillor Trish Murphy said she fully supports Deputy O’Shea’s call and believes the site could make a major contribution to Kanturk’s future.
“I fully support Deputy O’Shea’s call for Cork County Council to look at acquiring the old library and the neighbouring properties.
“This is a very prominent site in the centre of Kanturk and it has been a long-standing concern for local people that these buildings have remained vacant and in poor condition.
“With the properties now actively for sale, we have a real opportunity to change that. A well-designed town-centre housing development on this site could bring new life to this part of Kanturk while also providing much-needed homes.
“The riverside location alongside the River Allow gives this site enormous potential. It could become an attractive development that would complement the town centre and make a positive contribution to the overall appearance of Kanturk.
“We have a Town Centre First regeneration plan which has been developed with the community. I believe the Council should be ambitious and look at opportunities such as this to turn the plan into tangible projects on the ground.
“I would strongly encourage Cork County Council to engage with the owners and investigate the possibility of acquiring these properties. This is an opportunity we should not allow to pass us by.”»
Deputy O’Shea said the project would complement other efforts to revitalise Kanturk and strengthen the town as a place to live, work and do business.
“Kanturk has a proud history and a strong community, and it has enormous potential. We need to make sure that potential is realised.
“The opportunity to acquire these properties should not be allowed to pass without serious consideration. I would like to see Cork County Council engage with the owners, examine the costs and feasibility of acquisition, and establish how this important town-centre site could be brought forward as part of the wider regeneration of Kanturk.
“Ultimately, this is about turning an idle and derelict part of Kanturk into something positive — much-needed homes, a more attractive town centre and a development that makes the most of the River Allow and contributes to the future of the town.”
