Trim cllrs to learn new valuation of town centre site this week

Updated: Wednesday, 17th February, 2010 4:41pm

Cllr Willie Fay.

Trim Town Councillors are to meet privately tonight (Wednesday) evening to discuss a valuation report recently carried out on the local town centre lands in public ownership with a view to putting the site back on the market.

Town manager Kevin Stewart told a meeting of the town council last week that Lisney's had completed the report and valuation and that he was looking to meet with councillors to clarify one or two things in the report in the next few days. Due to commercial sensitivities, Mr Stewart said he did not feel it was appropriate to discuss the contents at a public meeting and councillors agreed to meet 'behind closed doors' on 17th February. He also pointed out that some of the land was owned by the county council and that the Trim area councillors would get the same briefing as the town councillors.

A tender process must be gone through before councillors can agree to dispose of the site. Cllr Willie Fay asked if they could make it a condition that whatever company comes in to buy the site or build on it, must use local suppliers to help get the local economy moving. Mr Stewart said that would be up to the tender and the only decision councillors had to make is to dispose of the land.

The previous plans for a supermarket, retail units, apartments and offices on the site adjacent to the new OPW headquarters fell through after Bennett Construction backed off on the deal. Last year, councillors decided to begin the process of offering the site for sale again and are keen that another supermarket be built as soon as possible.

Cllr Ronan McKenna suggested that they put a second item on the agenda that night to discuss the fixing of the council's loan for the street restoration works.

Cllr Trevor Golden raised the issue earlier in the meeting asking if the town clerk had looked into fixing the interest rate on the council's loan, saying he believed interest rates were set to rise.

Town clerk Brian Murphy said he was waiting for a breakdown of what was drawn down from the bank. Cllr Golden said he believed that once Nama is set up, the banks will start to move and interest rates will go up. He believed they should "move before then".