LOAN OR GIFT FROM MITCHELSTOWN LEISURE GROUP?
The Avondhu has been asked this week to broach the question as to the conditions being placed on money which, it would appear, is being ‘loaned or gifted’ from the Mitchelstown Community Leisure Group to the Mitchelstown Forum for the erection of an enterprise centre in the town.
“Is this money, which I gather is in the region of €600,000, being given as a loan or as a gift? This question is hugely important – what will be the status of this money and how will it be paid back?”
This caller said this kind of money being spent on the building of an enterprise centre was ‘ludicrous’, ‘considering all the vacant office and commercial space available in the town’.
“A quick check around town will tell you that there is between 30,000 and 75,000sq.ft. available in Coolnanave from CMS and more if needs be; EMF (also in Coolnanave) has 2,000sq ft lying idle; there is 7,250sq.ft. available in King’s Square; 1,000sq.ft. at Sutton’s Corner; 1,300sq.ft. on Lower Cork St; 1,000sq.ft. at Upper Cork Street and another 1,000sq.ft. in New Square.
"With that in mind, what in God’s name would they want to build more available space when there are no takers for what’s already there,” the caller queried, pointing out that there is office and commercial space lying idle, not just in Mitchelstown but all over the country.
“In Dublin alone there is a staggering 8 million sq.ft. of office space lying idle and this figure is expected to reach 10.5 million by 2011 and that is assuming none of the present occupied space becomes available in that time.”
This caller was also asking why the public meeting was called in such haste and with very little notice.
“Another concern I have is why this public meeting has been called with such expediency. In the first place we are slap bang in the middle of the holiday season and anyway, four or five working days notice is just not good enough for such an important issue.”
Published:
Thursday 13th August 6:40pm
