Louth County Council has confirmed to Sinn Féin representatives Joanna Byrne TD and Cllr Debbie McCole that the owners of the Drogheda Chemical Manure Co. property on the Marsh Road have been served with a Derelict Sites Notice.
The property will now be entered onto the Derelict Sites Register, market valued, and hit with a 7% annual levy. The Council also confirmed that a Section 11 Notice is being considered, which would direct works to address the derelict nature of the site, by legal action if necessary.
Deputy Byrne welcomed the development, saying: “A ten-year planning permission was granted for a development in 2009. The developer then submitted a request to extend the duration of the planning permission in 2020, which was refused.
“As the site was lying idle for such a considerable amount of time myself and Cllr McCole contacted Louth County Council asking a number of questions regarding the site and we received the welcome news that the owners had been served with the derelict site notice and would be hit with the levy.”
Cllr McCole added: “It is completely unacceptable that such an eyesore, overlooking the Boyne, would be left to rot for such a long time. I am the newest Drogheda Councillor, but I also live in that area and like every local, I want to see the very best for the area. Developers should never be allowed to sit on such sites which are a blight on our town until such a time as they can generate the perfect amount of profit for themselves.
“Tackling dereliction and ensuring that the full power of the council can be brought to bear on site-hording developers will be a focus of mine as long as I am a councillor. Our heritage and historical sites also need a renewed focus and I look forward to working with my party colleague Joanna Byrne on that.”
Deputy Byrne said the move should only be seen as the first step: “This move is very welcome news, but it should only be the first step to ensuring that the Drogheda Chemical Manure Co. site and others like it in Drogheda are brought into use and their potentials fully realised.”
