Vacant Naas property to be purchased by council

THE former Alms House in Naas – vacant for two decades – looks like getting a new lease on life, after it was confirmed the council is “in an advanced stage (for) the purchase of the property”.

This came to light following a motion on the issue from cllr Anne Breen at the recent meeting of the Naas Municipal District.

“Can the council update the members on the current state of dereliction of Alms House and the adjacent property on the Dublin Road, Naas?” she asked.

“The local authority is at an advanced stage in regards to the purchase of the property at Alms House, Dublin Road,” confirmed Eileen McGrath, acting administrative officer at the housing section.

“The owner of the property adjacent to Alms house is in regular communication with the vacant homes team and is preparing plans to develop the site. The team will continue to monitor progress on both sites,” she added.

Only 12 months ago an attempt by a housing association to convert the building into social apartments fell through. The present building, also known as the Widow’s House, was built in 1915 on the site of a previous alms house which had been on that site since about 1590, before a major refurb in the 1960s to convert it into domestic use.

It is believed that the cut stone plaque on the building’s façade may have been reclaimed from the original building, and as such is of substantial archaeological importance to the town.

Unfortunately, cllr Breen did not receive such a positive reply with her second enquiry about dereliction in Naas after she asked: “Can the council update members on any progress in relation to the current condition of (details provided) in Monread Heights?”

Ms McGrath replied: “This property is privately owned and occupied. The derelictsites section have communicated with the property owner and issued a number of notices in relation to this property, and a Section 11 notice issued in November 2024 requesting measures to be taken in relation to the site.”