Press Releases
CHURCH OF IRELAND DEAN ATTACKS PRESERVATION ORDERS
Speaking today at the annual Synod of the Church of Ireland Dioceses of Tuam Killala and Achonry, the Dean of St. Mary s Cathedral, Tuam Very Revd. Alistair Grimason castigated Preservation Orders applied by local authorities that he said, often have little relevance to what buildings are there for.
"The seemingly indiscriminate proliferation of preservation orders, which, from time to time, emanate from our county councils, especially in regard to redundant and derelict churches and parish property must have expensive public liability insurances," according to Dean Grimason.
"Now, you'll forgive me if I am wrong, but I always thought that the Church was in the business of proclaiming the Gospel, not in the business of preserving the National Heritage in bricks and mortar, so to speak.
"It would nice if we could do both. However, the nature of the Tuam Killala and Achonry Diocese is that we have enough on our plates to keep open, maintain, and insure the active churches without the added burden of maintaining and insuring redundant church buildings and property.
"We could, of course, simply close all our churches and devote our time and money to the development of national monuments! However, contrary to popular opinion, the church is a living, breathing thing with a very definite and well-defined purpose. We are not primarily, or even incidentally, the keepers of museums.
"Preservation orders often appear to be so arbitrary and subjective, and based on the fact that a building is simply old, or even relatively old, rather than of any architectural or aesthetic merit. A prime example of what I mean is the sexton's house in the grounds of this cathedral, St. Mary's Cathedral - Tuam's second cathedral. Apparently, it is a preserved building, though I have no written record of a preservation order having been issued.
"In the Tuam Herald of 6th July 2002 Councillor O'Grady described it as the verger s toilet! Councillor Kelly said it was in deplorable condition and being used for all the wrong purposes. In the same article, Councillor Reilly is quoted as saying it is a beautiful building, (the word Specsavers springs to mind) while the manager, Mr. Ridge, says that it masks off the view of a filling station from the cathedral grounds.
"I wonder has he ever stood at the west door and looked at the filling station, or even noticed the stand of yew trees that are there. A consultant archaeologist says in his report, and I quote, ' the proposed demolition of the old vergers house has no archaeological implications.'
"At the same time, we receive a report from an architect that says that demolition will, and again I quote 'cause archaeological disruption to any subsoil element.' This worthy goes on to say 'the building while in very bad condition is elegant in appearance...' He also asserts that the house is 'an early example of mass concrete construction in the area. It is not! It was built in concrete block, as is apparent to anyone who takes even a cursory look at it.
"Over it all, on 17th April we received a communication from Galway County Council saying, and I quote, 'the department considers the building on this site to be of local significance....' Significance to whom, I wonder? Winos and druggies? Certainly not to the parishioners of St. Mary's or to the Diocese or to the people of the Church of Ireland, who are upbraided by the national tidy towns committee who see it as an eyesore and a blot on the local landscape.
"Others and I met on site with a representative of the County Council on 29th April. I still await her report. Had I not telephoned her on Wednesday past, 26th September, with an urgent request for an opinion, I would still be in the dark as to what her mind is on this matter.
"I trust that, having made my point a second time, that a report will be received by the Cathedral authorities in the very near future, and that we don't have to wait another five months for a response. In the mean time, and this is why I rang the County Council on Wednesday, God has taken a hand in the issue and part of the building has collapsed, leaving us with a structure which is in an even greater state of disrepair and a very real and present public danger. I have the written opinion of a engineer to this effect.
"This is the kind of frustrating bureaucratic nonsense that all of us have to put up with. In short then, and from my perspective, if the county councils want to slap Preservation Orders on anything more than 50 years old, then they must bear at least in part, some responsibility for their up keep, maintenance and insurance. We cannot do it alone without inhibiting the task that is given us by the Lord God Almighty. We have more important things to do, especially given the sad state of life in this country of ours and beyond."
Dean Grimason alluded to the high cost of insurance to be met by parishioners. "I hope the Tánaiste is serious in her intent to take a good hard look at insurance costs in Ireland with their attendant level of claim payments and the role that the legal profession play in the high level of those claims, comprising from 40 to 50 percent of the payout, according to RTÉ's Morning Ireland last Thursday. We in the council are actively investigating this ourselves."
Further information from:
THE CHURCH OF IRELAND PRESS OFFICE
Church of Ireland House
61 - 67 Donegall Street
Belfast BT1 2QH
Tel: (028) 9023 2909
Fax: (028) 9032 3554
Email:The Press Office