By PATSY McARDLE
CONCERNS expressed over several weeks about the dilapidated and deteriorating state of entranceway buildings to Lough Muckno, and the Hope Castle Estate in Castleblayney, were eased somewhat this week by the news that an allocation of €40,000 is being provided for badly needed restoration work at Hope Castle gate lodge at Castle Square in Blayney.
Local residents in the area, as well as the owners of some business establishments, were very concerned by the hazard posed for some time by the state of the buildings.
One guest-house owner had claimed that visitors had become fearful of parking their cars near the entranceway—in case of a collapse of some of the nearby deteriorating structures!
It was also claimed the run-down condition of the Hope Castle gateway buildings were posing a major threat to efforts to promote the area and attract visitors to the town.
It was claimed during the week the €40,000 in funding is being made available under the Structures at Risk Fund 2015.
This fund provides for conservation work on heritage structures – in both private and public ownership – deemed to be at significant risk of deterioration, and which are protected under the Planning and Development Act.
It was announced that a total of €624,000 is being shared among 28 heritage structures across the country.
Local Fine Gael Dail deputy and Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys TD claimed that protecting heritage structures would contribute to tourism.
She said: “People who live or work in Castleblaney will be familiar with the gate lodge at Hope Castle, which is…
