Prior to the council’s lease of the car park in Tullow it was privately run as a paid for car park. What will happen now that the lease has not been renewed is unknown

By Suzanne Pender

WHO sanctioned the selling of Tullow’s car park in the first place? That was the question posed this week by People Before Profit local election candidate John Cahill.

At a recent meeting of Tullow Municipal District, it came to light that a decision was taken not to renew the lease on the car park in Tullow, which had led to serious concerns about accessing parking.

“This will have a huge impact on business owners and the people of Tullow, especially those who are older or have limited mobility. This decision has opened up some interesting questions, which I think need immediate addressing,” said Mr Cahill, who will run for election in the Tullow area at next year’s local elections.

“The car park in question was initially owned by Carlow County Council, but sold to a third party only to be leased back at ever-increasing rates. It is important we find out who sanctioned the selling of the car park in the first place and how much it was sold for,” said Mr Cahill, adding that PBP cllr Adrienne Wallace has posed these questions to Carlow Council.

“This exact problem is being replicated across the state. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael-led local authorities and state bodies can’t wait to sell off publicly-owned property. The public then lose out on much-needed amenities and the public purse also takes the hit,” he said.

“We are potentially losing our car park in Tullow partly because of this attitude of serving the interests of private capital over the interests of the people in Tullow. This has effectively left us in a situation where there are no easy solutions and the damage is likely done. It’s time for change,” concluded Mr Cahill.