AGREEMENT BETWEEN Waterford City Council and a Cork-based developer will result in the dilapidated Ard Rí hotel in Ferrybank being taken off the local authority’s derelict register in a jointly funded €160,000 clean-up.
Fears had arisen locally that the site would remain in a rundown condition in the lead-in to the Tall Ships Races 2011 festival in the city in early July.
The festival hopes to attract 500,000 to the city’s quays for the event next summer.
The owner of the site, TRM Developments, was refused planning permission for a major development on the site by the city council and Kilkenny County Council in 2009. The site has since been the scene of much nuisance behaviour, including a fire in November.
The cost of cleaning up the site which overlooks the river Suir had been estimated at €200,000, and Waterford City Council last year said it was initiating legal proceedings against TRM.
Despite an enforcement order against the owner, the site remained in a dilapidated condition. Recent talks have resulted in the latest agreement. The current estimation will cost the local authority just €20,000. Waterford city councillor Davy Walsh, a Ferrybank resident, yesterday said the council has “seen sight of a bond for €100,000”.
The remaining €60,000 will come from Waterford City Council, which will receive €40,000 back, and €20,000 will be retained for making available digital advertisements of upcoming events in Waterford city.
As part of the works all single-storey buildings, including the swimming pool at the hotel, will be demolished, while a “major clean-up on the site” will be undertaken.
The boundaries of the site will be secured and inspections be carried out “on a regular basis”.
