Sligo thatched cottages delisted

Sligo councillors have voted to delist a number of thatched cottages in the county despite being warned they would be "the laughing stock of the country".

Research carried out in 2003 showed there were 33 thatched cottages left in Co Sligo, 21 of which were owner-occupied, mostly by older people.

Senior planner Mr Brendan Carolan sympathised with councillors' concerns about the financial implications of having a property on the list of protected structures, given the lack of funding available from central Government for maintenance.

But Mr Carolan also warned councillors the time would come when a photograph of a thatched building in the county would be "a collector's item" because there would be none left.

At a meeting to discuss the draft development plan, members voted to delist a thatched cottage in Dromore West after hearing that officials had refused to give the owner a grant for repairs because it was structurally unsafe.

Cllr Joe Queenan (FF) told officials they now wanted to protect the cottage. "It is a farce," he said.

The Mayor of Sligo, Cllr Declan Bree, warned members that if they removed thatched cottages from the list of protected structures "we will be the laughing stock of the country. We will be called barbarians."

Another thatched cottage near Riverstown, Co Sligo, was removed from the list after councillors were told the 89-year-old woman who had lived there all her life and who recently had the house re-thatched was worried about the implications of protected status.

Cllr Bree said the council should address this woman's concerns without delisting her cottage. "We have a duty to ensure the few remaining thatched cottages in the county are protected."

Councillors voted - for the second time - to delist Longford House, Beltra, home to the Crofton family for 400 years.

Lady Sally Crofton had made a submission urging that it be delisted because of its dangerous condition.