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Closure of 41 Garda Stations nationally can give local communities new property opportunities – says OPW Minister

Brian Hayes TD, Minister of State with special responsibility for the Office of Public Works (OPW) this morning, as part of a lease arrangement, handed over the keys of the former Finglas Garda Station to Finglas Childcare Ltd.

He said at this morning’s event “With the downsizing of the public sector between now and 2015 the property portfolio of the state will have to be rationalised. We need fewer buildings and spare capacity will have to be used in a much more productive way. If the assets have minimal value or can return little income for the state, I have an open mind about using the existing space for community or voluntary purposes. Today’s announcement is a perfect example of a common sense approach to the use of our existing portfolio.”

Minister Hayes, who was accompanied at the handover by Minister of State Róisín Shortall TD, said: “I am delighted to be here in Finglas this morning and this is an excellent example of finding a community use for a former Garda Station.”

Minister Hayes concluded: “A recent announcement by the Minister for Justice on the closure of 41 Garda Stations will result in my officials in the OPW examining other potential State uses for those properties, after An Garda Síochána have confirmed they have no further operational use for them. If no such use is identified, arrangements will probably be made to dispose of the properties on the open market to maximize the benefit for the taxpayer. If any viable local proposals concerning the station are made from the community, I will consider this.”