Galway County Council has opted to remove the former Shannon Oaks Hotel in Portumna from the Derelict Sites Register – less than a year after it was put on the list following a massive fire over a decade ago.

That decision has been slammed as ‘outrageous’ by Sinn Féin’s Louis O’Hara who insisted that the site remained in a dilapidated and derelict condition – and he alleged that this called into question the effectiveness of the register and Galway County Council’s application of it.

Furthermore, it has prompted Cllr Jimmy McClearn to make a proposal for this decision to be rescinded. This will be discussed at a meeting of Loughrea Municipal Council on Monday next.

The hotel, which was ravaged by fire more than a decade ago, was placed on the Council’s derelict sites register earlier this year as no works have taken place to rebuild the property.

However, there was shock locally when it was announced last week that the Council was to remove it from the derelict sites register as they believed that some works had taken place at the hotel.

But Cllr McClearn told The Connacht Tribune that the only works that appeared to have been carried out was in relation to the hoarding that surrounds the burned out shell.

“Whatever has taken place is only cosmetic. It is not that the site is occupied by machinery or workers carrying out significant redevelopment,” he added.

The property is owned by Luke and Barry Comer since 2016 and they have been urged by locals to either renovate it or sell it off to a hotel group with an interest in rebuilding it.

Almost three years ago, planning permission was granted by Galway County Council to Barry Comer for the redevelopment of the hotel with the provision of 60 new bedrooms and 40 new apartments.

Little or no works have been carried out on the property and planning is due to expire in around two years time.

The decision has also prompted the Sinn Féin election candidate to question the whole process.

“The Shannon Oaks was added to the register less than a year ago, meaning that the owners faced financial penalties through the derelict sites levy, which is 7% of the market value of the property for each year it remains on the register,” said Louis O’Hara.

“While minor remedial work may have been carried out on site, it still remains in a dilapidated and derelict condition and is a complete eyesore in the heart of Portumna town.

“Planning permission was granted for redevelopment of the hotel over three years ago but it has been left idle and falling into ruin ever since, with no sign of redevelopment works beginning any time soon.

“The Shannon Oaks was the only hotel in Portumna and redeveloping it would be of huge benefit to the town and surrounding areas in terms of tourism, employment and as an amenity for the local community,” he added.

Mr O’Hara said that removing the site from the Register now also took away any incentive for the owners of the hotel to redevelop it.

“It raises serious questions about the effectiveness of the register and Galway County Council’s application of it, especially given that only four sites were on the register for the county as of December 31 2022,” he said.

“Sites must be identified and the register enforced properly if we are to tackle dereliction across County Galway.

“Sinn Féin will be pursuing this issue with the Council to establish the full facts as to why the former Shannon Oaks was removed from the Derelict Sites Register and to have this unacceptable decision reversed,” he added.