There needs to be time given to the Franciscans to decide what they want for the Friary.
That’s the opinion of local councillor John Fitzgerald who has been reacting to calls from some of his colleagues urging the council to purchase the building.
He says that while everyone wants to see the premises retained and utilised in the future in some form, he would be reluctant to interfere so soon.
Cllr. Fitzgerald told Tipp FM that the current occupiers of that property are entitled to make their own decision:
“give the present occupiers and owners of that property time to decide what they want to do going forward or what their own strategy is because they are entitled to make their own decisions on that property… but when they do decide definitely the local authority and the town we need to look at it at that point.”
The Local Authority has been asked to engage with the Franciscans on potentially acquiring the premises.
There were suggestions that a deal could be formulated that would see the council pay €1 in order to assume the maintenance and running of the much loved building.
However, Cllr.Fitzgerald described this suggestion as a ‘peppercorn’ gesture:
“I don’t think we are in that territory at all they have a valuable asset there and they are entitled to be given due process to do whatever they want with that asset, look, if they do decide in time that they would like for the community to have a say in it then that is where those kind of gestures are made. No more than we could say to the banks as they pull out of towns will ye leave us your property for a euro , you know what they would say to you – a religious order should be given the very same respect.”
