The elected members of the Ballina Municipal District this week agreed to sell to Applegreen a small parcel of land located beside its newly opened service station on the junction of the N5 and the R320 in Swinford. The plot of land, which measures 0.212 acres at Carrowbaun, has no development potential on its own, the members were told, and the only development value it could have would be to the owners of the service station.
The sale price for the land is €25,000, both parties agree to the sale, and the land had been properly valued, the members were told. Local Fianna Fáil Cllr Michael Smyth proposed the sale of the land, but urged that the council keep the money made from the sale in the Swinford area for use on local projects. Cllr Smyth told the meeting: "I agree fully with this sale, it's been a positive for Swinford since this station opened up and it has brought employment to the town and the surrounding areas. I would hope that the money will remain in the area, I'm sure the finance director of the council might have other ideas, but we had a precedent here before with money remaining in the Killala area and I'd like to see that here also."
There was full support for the sale and for Cllr Smyth's proposal, with both Cllr Annie May Reape and Cllr Neil Cruise stating that it was important that the money stay in the area.
