County Manager says council could still take Rockhill barracks into ownership

The former army base at Rockhill outside Letterkenny could still be bought by Donegal County Council after a discussion in the chamber this week.
County Manager Seamus Neely told the meeting that he would go back into talks with the Department of Defence with a view towards reducing the initial costs.
However, he warned even Rockhill does come into council ownership, it may intially have to be mothballed.
Seamus Neely told members they Rockhill and Lifford carry a joint price tag of 1.2 million euro to be paid over six years. However, he said the costs associated with restoring and maintaining Rockhill are prohibitive.
Lifford, he said is manageable within present resources, and with the council renting two premises in the town and a need for new accommodation after the expansion of the council, it makes sense to acquire it. Conversely, he said, while much has been said about the potential Rockhill, no concrete proposals or business plans have been proposed.
He said the problem isn’t the outlay, its the extra costs involved. After a lengthy discussion, he said he won’t divide the council. He said it’s clear there is no opposition to acquiring Rockhill within the council, and he will go back to the Department of Defence and seek a more affordable price.
The manager added he will also seek a way of taking Rockhill into possession and protecting it, possibly by boarding it up, while seeking to utilise the Lifford facility immediately.