Lease deal for ’Bridge courthouse

Sixmilebridge Courthouse will be leased out to a local body for 25 years by Clare County Council. However, a complaints mechanism is to be included in the terms in case any body is refused access to it.

The building will be leased to Sixmilebridge and District Community Complex Society Ltd (SDCCSL), at a nominal rent of €1 per annum.
The lease provoked a lot of debate at the Shannon Electoral Area meeting this week.
In a report outlining the thinking behind the lease, Michael McNamara of Clare County Council stated, “I am not recommending the sale of the property to SDCCSL so as to ensure the council has control over the future use of the property and also to safeguard the property if, for any reason, the leasees were to cease to function at any time in the future.
“The proposal is to lease the property to SDCCSL for a period of 25 years, this will enable the leasees to source funding for improvement to the building. It is not proposed to levy an annual charge on the leasees as they will incur costs in the ongoing upkeep of the building and will also have to provide funding towards improvements to the building over the coming years,” Mr McNamara said.
He stated that the arrangement would be similar to what applies in the case of the Courthouse in Tulla.
Councillor Gerry Flynn said he had received a representation from a local community radio station, Rins Fm, and he said he had concerns.
“I don’t want a situation where the main leasees of the building have the power to take people in or reject them,” he said.
A five-year lease wouldn’t be sufficient when looking for grants, Councillor Patricia McCarthy suggested.
Councillor PJ Ryan said that some group had to be in charge. “It’s available to everyone but someone has to be in control and to look after the building,” he said.
The debate continued for some time, with Councillor Ryan, Mr McNamara and Shannon town manager Bernadette Kinsella all saying they were unaware of any issue up until that point.
Councillor Flynn said he felt there needs to be some type of arbitration process put in place by the landlords and the debate concluded when Mr McNamara said there would be no problem with including a condition that complaints could be made to the council about problems with access.