Fine Gael Cllr John O’Hara put forward a motion calling for a plan to be put in place to do something to clean up the approach to Ballina town centre, at the monthly meeting of the Ballina Municipal District this week.
Cllr O’Hara’s motion read: “In light of the desperate appearance on the approach road to Ballina from Foxford, I call on the environment section to write to the owners of derelict properties to make the front of the properties presentable starting from the train station to the lights on the Crossmolina Road. I would also request the Ballina Municipal Area write to Iarnrod Eireann to tidy up all of their properties opposite Gala on the Foxford Road, as far as the Bus Station. The owners of the derelict sites would be given a time-line to have their properties cleaned up and I would request the council draw up a business plan for the area.”
There was widespread support for the motion from other elected members of the district and there was support for the sentiment of the motion from the Director of Services for Mayo County Council, Tom Gilligan, who told the meeting he wanted to set up a task force to deal with the dereliction issue in Ballina as a whole and he would have no issue in chairing the task force.
