Aontú representative Michael O’Dowd says the future of one of Drogheda’s most significant historic buildings is at risk unless urgent action is taken to bring it back into use.
St John’s Home, built in 1816 as a charitable institution, sits at the heart of Peter’s Hill beside St Peter’s Church of Ireland. Once a defining landmark in one of the town’s most important civic spaces, the building has now spent years vacant and slipping deeper into neglect.
O’Dowd said the ongoing dereliction is a failure of leadership and a loss to the community.
“St John’s Home is a protected historic building that has been left vacant, derelict and abandoned for far too long. While the main structures remain standing and the roofs are intact, the site has been unused for many years and continues to deteriorate. This is not acceptable for a building of such importance in the centre of Drogheda.”
He added that despite past proposals for refurbishment and town centre housing, none succeeded in bringing the building back to life.
“It is important to acknowledge that genuine efforts were made in recent years to return the buildings to use. With the best will in the world, those efforts were not successful and the buildings remain unused.”
O’Dowd is now calling on Louth County Council to intervene and take a more active role in determining the future of the site.
“Louth County Council must now take the lead. The Council should bring all relevant parties together, provide clarity on the future of the site, and support a plan to restore, reuse or sensitively redevelop St John’s Home.”
He said the building should not become a legacy of dereliction but a revived asset serving the people of Drogheda.
