Owners neglecting heritage buildings ‘to facilitate removal from protected list’
Acting against the advice of their management and An Taisce, the council decided to delist two protected buildings in New Street, one of the original streets in the town.
One of the buildings, number 85, was described by An Taisce as one of the few, significant 18th century buildings in Killarney.
Dating to around 1770, the late Georgian house is also on An Taisce’s national buildings at risk inventory.
“It is submitted that any rescheduling would undermine the credibility of the entire listing system in Killarney,” said An Taisice heritage officer Ian Lumley in a letter to the council.
He suggested the building had been neglected so as to allow for its demolition to make way for a new development. “We do not consider that the neglect of this building by the current owner should be rewarded with de-scheduling,” Mr Lumley stated.
Town manager Tom Curran said no justification for the delisting had been put forward, other than the interests of the owner. Its removal from the list would set an “extremely dangerous precedent”, he added.
Number 85 had regional rating under the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage and the same protection as Killarney House, the Golden Gates, the Franciscan Friary, the Methodist Church and the court house, Mr Curran said.
