Town Hall funding can't be reallocated to other Tuam projects

Efforts to resolve registration problem

GALWAY County Council is continuing in its efforts to become the registered owners of Tuam's Town Hall.

Last month, The Tuam Herald revealed that the council are not the registered owners of the historic property. This meant the plans for a major refurbishment of the building were put on hold, despite €3.6 million in funding allocated for the project.

The delay saw Cllr Donagh Killilea trying to get the money reallocated to other shovel ready projects, but he has been told this would not be possible. Now he is eager for the matter to be resolved as soon as possible.

“There are times where Tailte Ireland (the agency responsible for property registrations) can expedite cases and make them a priority,” he remarked at last week’s meeting of the Tuam Municipal District.

“I have the relevant email needed to request this status for our application and will follow up on behalf of the council.”

The council were allocated funding for the refurbishment of Tuam Town Hall in 2024 as part of the government’s Rural Regeneration Development Fund (RRDF). It plans to create a space to host community groups and facilitate those looking to work remotely.

It is understood that they were already in the process of choosing a contractor to carry out the works when their Regeneration Team discovered the building and associated laneway were not registered under their ownership.

“We have had issues with deeds of properties or land in the past, such as Browne’s Field or the old Tuam courthouse. I get worried about how poor communication gets when we try to get clarity from national organisations,” remarked Cllr Karey McHugh Farag.

“We need to make sure on this occasion the issue is dealt with in a timely manner. A huge amount of work has gone into this project, and the funding is already there. We cannot just sit on this for too long, we need to see it progressing.”