Residents want action over former dispensary now derelict 'for decades'

Residents of a village near Mallow have called for action to be taken on a building which has been derelict for decades.

Pat Rice, a member of the Ballynoe Community Council, explained that they believe the dispensary was bought by the HSE in the 1960s, saying: “We understand that the dispensary was last used in the early 1980s and has sat for almost 40 years derelict and unused.

“The gates are locked with no access to the site, the windows have been boarded up. The overgrown look to the building is an eyesore in the centre of the village and there has been little to no ground keeping carried out on the site, the back of the site is overgrown and is not kept tidy. 

"Pest control has been an ongoing issue with vermin being frequently observed around the building.” 

They are calling for the site to be transferred to Cork County Council, so it remains in state ownership, and for the council to put it to use as a community hub, shop, or café, suggesting this could be staffed by volunteers, with assistance from people with special needs.

A tourism office to facilitate tours to the nearby Ballynoe Monastery and ogham stones, a remote working hub, library, parent and toddler or autism friendly space are among their other ideas for the building.

Social Democrats TD for Cork East Liam Quaide raised the issue in the Dáil last week, and told The Echo: “The Ballynoe Community Council have a strong drive to enhance their village by repurposing this building for a variety of possible uses. I very much look forward to working with them, the HSE and Cork Co. Council on this project.” 

Mr Rice told The Echo: “This building has been empty for time and eternity, and it got to a point of blindness where we practically saw it rotting into the ground.

“We’re a village who lost our shops, our butcher, post office – we had two pubs and both were closed, though one has re-opening now. When I was young you could live in the village and you didn’t have to go anywhere else.”

He thanked Mr Quaide, saying, “Ballynoe is on the edge of the county boundaries, between East and North West constituencies, and it’s hard to get any recognition. Liam has been great, working with us to try and help fix this classic case of state dereliction.” 

A spokesperson for HSE South West said it “has confirmed that it has no future use for the former HSE Dispensary building in Ballynoe. The property has consequently been listed for disposal.

“HSE South West’s Capital and Estates Office is currently working through the Land Development Agency (LDA) and the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform processes for the disposal of properties which are surplus to requirements,” they said, adding that HSE properties are first offered to all state agencies through the Intra-State Property Register.