As we reported this morning, Kilkenny County Council will consolidate its city centre office offering by acquiring Block 7 at the Abbey Quarter, a move which will be financed by a €24 million loan.
Read: €24million loan to be taken out by Kilkenny County Council to acquire Block Seven at Abbey Quarter
Following the Council’s monthly plenary meeting, KCLR spoke to Martin Prendiville, Kilkenny County Council’s Head of Finance.
Meanwhile, Green Party Councillor Maria Dollard has proposed that three elected members should be added to Abbey Quarter’s Board of Directors. In a statement issued to KCLR News, Cllr Dollard said: “The original proposal, more than 10 years ago, was that the partnership was set up to develop a parcel of the site for commercial development. The investment from the Council was simply the land and NTMA was to provide the money for the development. So far, that partnership has delivered one office block called The Brewhouse. Due to their funding constraints, the NTMA appear to be unable to make the investments needed to develop six remaining blocks.”
Cllr Dollard added: “Since the setting up of the Abbey Quarter Partnership, we as Councillors have been asked at least four times to vote on major issues without the benefit of having any presence on the Board. We have voted on over a million euro in cash injections, voted on a land swap with the developers of the Kilkenny Inn, whose planning permission has now expired, voted to sell one of the plots for a hotel and yesterday voted to borrow €25 million to undertake the building of offices.
“These are big decisions and I feel we are making them with a blindfold on and one hand tied behind our back. I want Councillors to have more of a say on the future of the remaining development sites.
“So far, the Council have done the best work on the site and it is a credit to them but it’s time to let County Councillors, representing the public, have a say going forward.”
