Press Release:

Further calls from Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy to compulsory purchase order the derelict Lakeland’s Bar site on Avenue De Rennes and its carpark have been rejected on the grounds of cost by property officials in City Hall at the recent South East Local Area Meeting. Cllr McCarthy noted; “this site is in a very poor condition and is an eyesore in the area; it is also the key in unlocking the regeneration of the area around it”.

“Cork City Council have acknowledged the poor condition of the Lakelands Bar site and the need for the removal of dereliction and to fill the giant potholes. To this end, a number of solutions have being considered by the Council in particular a full mapping of the landowners on this part of Avenue De Rennes. What has been revealed is a complex network of over a dozen owners of property in a small area. Such a network complicates the short term renewal of this part of Avenue de Rennes. What has become very apparent is the area needs a substantial packet of investment, probably from central government, so that the legal complexities can be began to unpicked, legal titles with liquidated owners gathered, and then new plans drawn up”.

“The look of the Lakelands bar building on the outside is atrocious. The adjacent car park also remains in limbo and is in dire need of resurfacing. The local people of Mahon deserve better than what is currently there. Such conditions completely jar against the very positive work of Mahon Community Centre and the Mahon Community Development Project and the community work of the local schools. On a positive note, the moving ahead of considering a public library in the adjacent secondary school is very welcome news”, concluded Cllr McCarthy.