Council denies ‘listed houses’ devalued

Clare County Council has strongly denied a claim that hundreds of homes in Clare were devalued after they were listed on the Register of Protected Structures, without their owners’ knowledge.
Christopher Eccles of Kilballyowen Manor House, near Carrigaholt, has told The Clare Champion his home has been devalued by more than €500,000 and cannot be sold. 
In 2001 Clare County Council drew up a list of historic buildings in the county. “They were supposed to have given notice to all the owners of these buildings, allowing them to object to the inclusion of their homes and to allow claims for grant aid but it appears that, in many cases, notice was not given,” Mr Eccles claimed.
“Auctioneers have told me that my house is virtually unwanted and interested buyers have walked away after they found out that the house was on this list. I have had my family’s property and my children’s inheritance devalued by over half-a-million euro and I find the council’s stance on this to be both high-handed and arrogant. Inclusion of a building on this register places many obligations on the owner, which can involve considerable expense. Most people are frightened off by this,” said Mr Eccles, who is known locally for his involvement in music events and as a past member of the Kilkee Civic Trust.
In reply, Gordon Daly, senior planner with Clare County Council, said the local authority has to protect buildings of architectural merit. He acknowledged that some house owners on the protected list in Clare had not been contacted to inform them of their inclusion on the register. 
“Clare County Council has an obligation under the planning acts to afford protection to buildings of architectural importance. Approximately 700 Clare properties are listed on the Register of Protected Structures. The majority of these properties have been listed on the register following a ministerial recommendation. Following the introduction of The Planning Act in 2000/1 a small number of property owners were not properly notified that their property had been added to the register,” he said.
Mr Daly also took issue with some of Mr Eccles claims. “The statement issued by Mr Eccles incorrectly quotes the council as saying that Protected Structure Records have been ‘destroyed’. Furthermore, and contrary to Mr Eccles’ claim, the council has never received a formal request from Mr Eccles in relation to the amount of monies paid out in Clare under the Conservation Grants Scheme. Such information has already been put into the public domain on a number of occasions,” Mr Daly said.
After what he terms “a protracted correspondence” with the council’s solicitors, Mr Eccles claims he has been met with a “blank wall of denial” that the council are obligated to compensate people for devaluations.
“Their response has remained: ‘serve us [the council] with a High Court summons and we shall defend it,” he alleged.
Mr Eccles maintains that potential buyers of his house have pointed out that they would have been happy to proceed, were it not for the fact that the building is on the register and their fear of planning difficulties arising if they wish to make changes to the structure.
“People are just scared stiff of these registers, both here and in the UK. They see the obligations and conditions as a severe handicap to doing as they wish with their own home. No one is going to invest a big chunk of their money in something which threatens to be worthless. Banks and mortgage lenders are similarly cautious. I’m all in favour of preserving Ireland’s architectural heritage and a great deal of my civic work has been concerned with this, as I pointed out to the planning officer, but compensation needs to be paid if owners of these structures are expected to act in a responsible fashion,” he concluded.