-
-
Author: Declan Tierney
~ 2 minutes read
The fire-ravaged hotel that was once one of the most popular in the county is now officially considered a derelict site – and that has led a local councillor to call for it to be either redeveloped or levelled.
Portumna’s Shannon Oaks Hotel, for so long popular with anglers and golfers in particular, has been boarded up for more than a decade since it was destroyed by fire.
Local councillor, Jimmy McClearn, has called on the owners to reopen or sell the property – adding that it should either be levelled or redeveloped.
“We are a tourist town and we need a hotel. The last thing we want is for a hotel to be shut up,” he said.
“It is a fine facility and on an extensive site so there is no reason why it should be boarded up,” he added.
The Shannon Oaks saga has gone on for the past twelve years – but now the owners, the multi-millionaire Comer brothers, will be forced to pay a derelict site levy if they do not reopen or redevelop.
That amounts to a seven per cent levy based on the market value of the property, which is worth around €1 million even in its derelict state.
The Shannon Oaks was ravaged by fire in September 2011 and four years later, the site was acquired by the Comer Group who, at the time, gave an undertaking that it would be reopened.
Around two years ago, planning permission was granted by Galway County Council to Barry Comer of the Comer Group to renovate the hotel by providing 60 new bedrooms along with 40 apartments to the rear of the structure.
However, there has been little or no movement on the site since then and now the owners are being again asked to give some indication as to when the hotel will be rebuilt.
It is considered an integral part of the tourism industry for the town and that is why pressure is mounting on the owners to rebuild the hotel.
Cllr McClearn said that all he is asking for is the owners to develop the site and provide a hotel there. “It’s not much to ask in a tourist town,” he added.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune:
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
More like this:
Plans for habitat restoration works along Nanny River in Tuam
Plans are underway for habitat restoration works along the Nanny River in Tuam. Inland Fisheries ...
Call for urgent safety improvements to “treacherous” city footpaths
There’s a call for urgent safety improvements to “treacherous” footpaths across...
Galway TD Ciaran Cannon cites ‘toxicity’ as reason he is leaving politics after 20 years
Galway East TD Ciaran Cannon has announced he will not contest the next General Elections. The Fi...
65 new homes planned for Loughrea and Tuam
Galway County Council has announced plans to deliver more than 65 new homes on local authority-ow...
Loughrea councillor Declan Kelly joins new Independent Ireland party
Loughrea councillor Declan Kelly has joined the new Independent Ireland party ahead of June’...
Nina Carberry to seek selection to run as a Fine Gael Candidate in the forthcoming European Elections
It has been revealed that Nina Carberry, a former champion jockey and a seven-time winner at the ...
Galway City Council called on to prioritise pitch drainage on the Eastside of the City
A Fianna Fail Councillor has called on Galway City Council Recreation and Amenity to prioritise p...
Man pleads guilty to sexual assault at Galway Garda HQ
A 27-year-old man has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a female at the Garda Regional HQ in ...
University of Galway’s Nelson Mandela Anti-Racism Week opens tomorrow
A number of events are taking place this week for the University of Galway’s Nelson Mandela...