Castlebar Town Council and Mayo County Council are to purchase the historic Imperial Hotel in Castlebar.
A deposit of €680,000 has been put down by the two authorities to secure the purchase of the premises.
Councillors were informed of the decision by letter this week in which Castlebar town manager Seamus Granahan said it was proposed to develop the property in partnership for public services provided by Mayo County Council and Castlebar Town Council and will include facilities suitably accessible by all.
According to Mr Granahan, Castlebar Town Council’s existing premises at Marsh House have been totally unsuitable as public offices as access for all cannot be provided in the restricted building.
“Mayo County Council propose to develop the remainder of the property for public use and envisage relocating existing staff from leased properties to consolidate services.
“I am satisfied that the acquisition of the historic building in such a prestigious and high profile location is an ideal opportunity for Castlebar Town Council and Mayo County Council to develop integrated service facilities for Castlebar and its environs,” said Mr Granahan.
It was the Mayor of the town, Cllr Ger Deere, who originally proposed that the two authorities come together to purchase the vacant hotel.
“It was a shame to see the way the hotel was going,” Mayor Deere told the Mayo Advertiser. He suggested that as well as using it for council purposes a museum could be incorporated into the building. “There is a lot of history attached to Castlebar which is being lost,” Mayor Deere said. He added that despite the economic downturn, the authorities could justify making the purchase due to the rent that would be saved in the long term.
At last night’s town council meeting (Thursday ) Labour councillor Harry Barrett was expected to call for the building, when revamped, to be called after James Daly, its former owner, who was described by Cllr Barrett as “an unsung hero for his work in support of tenant farmers’ rights and co-founder of the“I am delighted that both Mayo County Council and Castlebar Town Council have had the foresight to secure this historic building for the people of Mayo,” Cllr Barrett told the Mayo Advertiser yesterday. “It will be a valuable civic resource in years to come and will be cost effective, as it will save the local authorities on lease arrangements.”
