Demand that barracks be ‘reclaimed’ for community

Deep frustration over the lack of a plan for the future of Columb Barracks has led members of the Municipal District of Mullingar Kinnegad to unite in a call to meet with local Oireachtas members and the ministers with responsibility for the complex.

It is currently in use as both an IPAS centre and for modular homes accommodating Ukrainian refugees, and councillors made clear their desire to see the barracks reclaimed for the people of Westmeath.

A motion, tabled by Cllr Andrew Duncan, called for Westmeath County Council to take over and seek government funding to regenerate the barracks for community benefit. The response from council officials – that the site remains in the hands of the Department of Defence and under the oversight of the Land Development Agency (LDA) – was met with exasperation.

Cllr Duncan, expressing anger that Westmeath County Council had refused to take over the barracks when it was offered to it after the departure of the army, said that "nothing" has been achieved since the LDA was tasked in completing a regeneration plan for the site.

"We need to get a grip of this ourselves," he said, stating that it appears all that is happening there is that more and more modular homes are being erected, in order to solve a problem for the national government.

"It’s shameful to see what’s going on there," he said, warning that unless Westmeath County Council plans for the future of the barracks, it will have no control over what happens in the future.

"It was offered to Westmeath County Council, and they declined. If we don’t act now, we will lose control of this site forever," said Cllr Duncan. "We need to sit down with the LDA and our ministers. Because right now, nothing is happening. Zero."

‘Disgrace’

Cllr Ken Glynn seconded the motion emphatically: "I don’t support, and I have never supported, what’s become of Columb Barracks from the day it was decided to close it to the day where we’re at today," he said, bemoaning the "very poor decision" by the council not to take over the facility when it was offered to it.

"We have now got to grasp the nettle here as the lead authority in this county and get involved and stop standing on the sidelines and saying, ‘sorry, it’s not our problem’. It’s very much our problem because we represent the people and we are all employed by the people… to represent the best interests of the people of Mullingar and Westmeath. That barracks should be back in full ownership of this town, of this county."

Cllr Glynn also called for a formal commitment to include Columb Barracks in the Local Area Plan as a community opportunity site.

Also in support of Cllr Duncan’s motion was Cllr Bill Collentine, who said that at present, 25 community groups use the Columb Barracks site, and while the site is currently being used for IPAS and refugee housing, there were "lots of other places" that could be used for housing.

Cllr David Jones and the mayor, Cllr Mick Dollard – both with personal ties to the army – echoed the need to respect the military legacy of the site. Cllr Jones decried the ongoing destruction of trees with historical significance, and said the buildings could have been "perfect" for people facing homelessness.

Cllr Dollard, who trained at the barracks and whose father served there for 43 years, described the current state of the site as deeply disrespectful. He contrasted it with Connolly Barracks in Longford, which, since closure, has become home to the Longford Westmeath Education Training Board and Longford County Council.

Stating it was closed "overnight" after hundreds of thousands were spent upgrading it, Cllr Dollard said a master plan was supposed to be produced for Columb Barracks, but "nobody seems to know anything about it".

Minister Burke

Cllr Duncan said the reality was that history would judge all who were in the chamber negatively if they did not take a stand on the issue.

He also revealed that he had spoken with Minister Peter Burke, who was interested in having a meeting over the issue.

"We need a meeting with our Oireachtas members and the LDA immediately," he said. "This has gone beyond polite conversations. We need action, a plan, and control."

Cllr Duncan went on to predict that the LDA will never be able to develop housing on the field there because of the unexploded artillery.

Council director of services Deirdre Reilly confirmed that the council would support a request for such a meeting and consult planners on including the barracks in the Local Area Plan. But she stressed that, as of now, the council’s only policy is to support the LDA’s still-unfinished master plan, based on a public consultation held in 2021.

She said the executive would support the members in arranging a meeting with Simon Harris, TD, Minister for Defence, and James Brown, TD, Minister for Housing, Local Government, and Heritage, who has responsibility for the LDA.