'Very honest and robust discussion' held on vacant retail area in Tipperary

A “very honest and robust discussion” had taken place recently between Remcoll, the owners of the beleaguered Market Place shopping area in Clonmel; Joe MacGrath, the Chief Executive of Tipperary County Council and Sinead Carr, the council’s Deputy Chief Executive and Manager of Clonmel Borough District.

This was stated by Sinead Carr at the monthly meeting of the Borough District.

Ms Carr said they had been given an assurance by Remcoll that they would come back to the council officials in mid-February.

Chief Executive Joe MacGrath told The Nationalist that it would not be appropriate for him to comment on the detail of discussions with individual landowners.

However, he confirmed that Tipperary County Council is engaging at a senior level with the owner of Market Place in Clonmel with a view to exploring options for the future redevelopment of this area of the town.

“It will be appreciated that discussions of this nature take time but engagement is ongoing and both parties are very much focused on achieving a positive outcome,” he stated.

SuperValu, the anchor tenant at Market Place, closed eight years ago this month. Most of the units in the retail area are vacant, with many boarded-up.

The Book Market, one of the last remaining businesses there, relocated to Mitchel Street last month.

Cllr Michael Murphy, who asked for an update on Market Place at this month’s Borough District meeting, stated last September that it was time for Tipperary County Council to consider a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO), which enables local authorities to acquire land or property for development, for the area.

He said that this would help to “focus minds”.

District Mayor Richie Molloy stated in November that he had conveyed the sense of outrage felt by people in Clonmel over the dilapidated and derelict state of Market Place when he and District Administrator Carol Creighton met with a representative of Remcoll.

The boarded-up units, which had been covered in graffiti, have been given a fresh appearance in the last couple of months by Maureen Purcell and volunteers from the South Tipperary Art Group (STAG), who have painted artworks on the hoardings.

At this month’s Borough District meeting, the District Mayor said that the STAG members had suggested that the area would also be power washed.