Officials at Kilkenny County Council are hopeful that Gowran Castle in County Kilkenny will undergo repair works in order to secure the premises and make it safe.
Speaking at this month’s meeting of Kilkenny County Council, Caitriona Reilly of the planning office presented a draft of the Gowran Local Area Plan to the members.
Concerns were raised about the condition of the castle and Ms Reilly confirmed that a Section 59 order had been served on the castle in December. However she added that there had been no response obtained from the owners, who are understood to be living in Northern Ireland.
The council has since undertaken to obtain quotes from contractors in a bid to get the works under way, including boarding up windows and doors and repairing the roof.
A recent fire at the premises added to the problems that were already present in the building, and local councillor Ann Phelan expressed her concerns about the building.
“This building is an integral part of Gowran. We would like to have it developed for tourism into the future,” she pointed out.
Ms Reilly reminded members that there had been no response from the owners and enforcement action was currently being considered which would allow the council to carry out the works and recoup the costs.
“We need to figure out how best to recoup those costs and then how best to proceed with the action,” she said.
The site is zoned for tourism and leisure purposes and it is hoped that this may be acted on in the future.
