Council bid for derelict Kildare property
Market House in Naas
KILDARE County Council has made an offer to purchase the derelict Market House in Naas, after the local authority said last year that it would not issue a compulsory purchase order (CPO) on the property.
Cllr Bill Clear brought forward a motion at the most recent meeting of Naas Municipal District proposing that the council ‘gives serious consideration to the potential purchase of the building at Naas Harbour known as Market House, with a view to bringing this important property into public ownership and securing its future use for the benefit of the local community’.
Acting director of services David Creighton, who also serves as district manager for the municipal district, issued the council’s written response, stating that ‘the council has engaged with the owner of the Market House through its property agent’.
Mr Creighton’s response added that the council’s ‘current offer takes account of the anticipated cost of bringing this property back into productive use’.
Speaking at the meeting, cllr Clear said he was pleased with the report, saying that the property in its current state is a “bit of a blight on the harbour”.
He said that as a potential community building, it could be used by various groups such as Naas Tidy Towns and the local men’s shed and women’s shed.
The issue of the derelict property has been a long-running saga. It has been on the derelict sites register for more than 10 years, since cllr Clear added the property to the register in 2015.
The local authority confirmed in January 2025 that it would not pursue a CPO at that stage, citing the costs of compensation, refurbishment works and ongoing management, which were not included in the capital programme.
The local authority did however indicate at the time that it was examining whether the building would be suitable for funding under the Urban Regeneration Development Fund.
