Asbestos-covered roof on Kerry County Buildings to be replaced

The roof was erected just 30 years ago and is to be replaced at a cost of more than €600,000

Kerry County Council are built around the former St Catherine's Hospital in Tralee. Picture: Domnick Walsh Photography

An asbestos roof on Kerry's main council office, in Tralee, is to be replaced, but doing so will cost more than €600,000.

There are leaks into the main council chambers in the Kerry County Buildings, a special meeting on the topic heard.

The main roof of the Kerry County Buildings, Áras an Chontae, is covered in asbestos cement and has reached the end of its life, three decades after it was put up.

The leaks are particularly bad when there is "wind-driven rain" around the exposed Tralee building, and these have been witnessed during council meetings.

Built around the old St Catherine's Hospital, the former county hospital which was at one time run by the county council, the main spine is a protected structure. The old timber trusses were covered in the asbestos cement slate in 1989, Tralee town manager, Michael Scannell, said.

"The new, insulated, standing-seam panel will prevent any further ingress of water to the building and, in doing so, will protect the existing, protected roof structure and walls from possible water damage," said a report.

Mr Scannell said the new roof will be done in phases over four months. And some of the council's 1,300 staff, many of whom work from the building, will continue with the current 'blended' practices of working from home and office, he said.

Johnnie Wall, Fianna Fáil councillor, criticised "replacing a roof after only 31 years", but supported the plan.

Not a single submission was made into the public planning process, from either the public or prescribed bodies.

The life of the building would be extended, the structure protected, and new insulated panels would make the building more energy efficient, the meeting was told.

Meanwhile, other public buildings in the county are also thought to have asbestos slate on their roofs.

The new roof on Áras an Chonate will cost €600,000, plus Vat, and a contract is to be signed shortly.