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The Comer brothers

  • 20-07-2019 4:48pm
    #1
    Site Banned Posts: 136 ✭✭rainybillwill


    It seems the Comer Brothers are holding Galway city back. The McHale Group and comer brothers are sitting on countless sites in the city and are neither developing or selling them to delevopers. Added they own countless houses and apartments they want a continued housing shortage in Galway city.


    Note this user is a sitebanned rereg and cannot respond to any posts


«13

Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 5,301 ✭✭✭gordongekko


    It seems the Comer Brothers are holding Galway city back. The McHale Group and comer brothers are sitting on countless sites in the city and are neither developing or selling them to delevopers. Added they own countless houses and apartments they want a continued housing shortage in Galway city.

    and ?


  • Site Banned Posts: 136 ✭✭rainybillwill


    and ?

    It seems you deleted your post by mistake before it posted?:confused:




  • It seems you deleted your post by mistake before it posted?:confused:

    Lol, he was asking what your point is


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 12,653 ✭✭✭✭Plumbthedepths


    It seems the Comer Brothers are holding Galway city back. The McHale Group and comer brothers are sitting on countless sites in the city and are neither developing or selling them to delevopers. Added they own countless houses and apartments they want a continued housing shortage in Galway city.


    They are speculators just doing what speculators do. A proper enforced vacant site tax would deal with the issue.


  • Registered Users Posts: 539 ✭✭✭bertsmom


    I'm not being deliberately rude but if someone has paid for a site is it not their own business what they do or don't do on it as long as its not illegal and not breaching any planning laws?


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  • bertsmom wrote: »
    I'm not being deliberately rude but if someone has paid for a site is it not their own business what they do or don't do on it as long as its not illegal and not breaching any planning laws?

    Yes and no.

    It all depends where the site is and what it's zoned as.

    For example, they own the Corrib Great Southern and are being hit with the vacant site levy.

    The levy is applied based on the following
    The Urban Regeneration and Housing Act defines a vacant site as either:

    The site is residential land (more than 0.05 hectares), there is a need for housing in the area, the site is suitable for housing and the majority of the site has not been in use for an extended period of time

    The site is regeneration land (other than residential land), the majority of the site has not been in use for an extended period of time, or the site is having a negative impact on existing amenities or on the character of the area.

    For the site above, they currently owe over 110,000 eur

    See here - https://connachttribune.ie/comers-in-talks-with-council-over-corrib-great-southern-500/


  • Registered Users Posts: 693 ✭✭✭grbear


    It seems the Comer Brothers are holding Galway city back. The McHale Group and comer brothers are sitting on countless sites in the city and are neither developing or selling them to delevopers. Added they own countless houses and apartments they want a continued housing shortage in Galway city.

    The laws regarding taxing vacant sites needs to be enforced properly.

    There's a worthwhile discussion to be had on the topic of developers sitting on sites and not paying the relevant levies.

    There's over €100,000 due in levies on the Corrib Great Southern site. The council needs to be actively going after money that's owed.


    EDIT:Simone Cuddly Cemetery said it better, and quicker.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,997 ✭✭✭gally74


    It seems the Comer Brothers are holding Galway city back. The McHale Group and comer brothers are sitting on countless sites in the city and are neither developing or selling them to delevopers. Added they own countless houses and apartments they want a continued housing shortage in Galway city.

    anyone can ask for a derelict site to be added to the derelict register, this at least puts some $$ pressure back on the owner, Shop st etc. has lots of dereict building, in fact ireland is a joke on one hand pushing tidy towns on the other not taking action,

    all you need to do is send an email to Environment@galwaycoco.ie outling why something should be added to the list..

    a site tax would make way more sense that a property tax!!!!!


  • Registered Users Posts: 25,594 ✭✭✭✭Mrs OBumble


    gally74 wrote: »
    Shop st etc. has lots of dereict building, ....

    a site tax would make way more sense that a property tax!!!!!

    We all know about Una Taffe's.

    But what others are there on Shop St or its surrounds?


  • Site Banned Posts: 136 ✭✭rainybillwill


    its just disappointing to see two Galway men making their money off struggling families in Galway. They are in part causing a housing crisis and homeless problem in Galway City


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  • Registered Users Posts: 539 ✭✭✭bertsmom


    Simone Cuddly Cemetery thanks for the explanation. It makes sense really doesn't it. I just wasn't aware that existed and was wondering if you struggled and saved to buy a site and it took a further few years to get the finance together to start a build get planning etc could a member of the public just make a complaint that may cause you to lose the site. Obviously not so that's great.
    I definitely think it's a good idea to levy for large commercial sites that are left to go derelict and the council should definitely enforce this but I still fail to see how the Comer brothers (don't know them) are causing Galway families to be homeless!


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,357 ✭✭✭✭kippy


    The Comers are loaded. The levy would need to be significant to make them think about development.
    That said those blaming them for the cities 'homeless' problem don't have a grasp on reality.




  • its just disappointing to see two Galway men making their money off struggling families in Galway. They are in part causing a housing crisis and homeless problem in Galway City

    See, what you are doing there is adding 1+1 and getting 3


  • Registered Users Posts: 73,365 ✭✭✭✭colm_mcm


    its just disappointing to see two Galway men making their money off struggling families in Galway. They are in part causing a housing crisis and homeless problem in Galway City

    Jaysus, that’s a bit of a reach?


  • Registered Users Posts: 11,913 ✭✭✭✭ben.schlomo


    its just disappointing to see two Galway men making their money off struggling families in Galway. They are in part causing a housing crisis and homeless problem in Galway City

    See, what you are doing there is adding 1+1 and getting 3
    3 is being very generous.




  • kippy wrote: »
    The Comers are loaded. The levy would need to be significant to make them think about development.

    The levy was 3% in 2018, that's the 112,500 that they currently owe. The first year of applying it was basically a warning shot to the site owners in general.

    From 2019 the rate increases to 7% of the site value, so at the end of this year they will owe an additional 262,500 on top of the 2018 amount which is still outstanding.

    Each year after they pay the 7% value.

    By the end of year 5,they will have paid 1.1 million euro to the council if they haven't developed it by then.

    As you can see, there is a significant incentive now for developers to develop prime land and to reduce the appeal of speculation.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 18 Childrenswear


    This quote from the City Tribune makes you wonder if the Comer brothers are actually aware of the appalling condition of the Corrib Great Southern site.

    ‘Mr Comer said: “It was derelict when we bought it, and we boarded it up, because it was being robbed left, right and centre and we boarded it up and have kept it in good condition until we try and get the planning resolved.’

    Kept it in good condition - really?!




  • Kept it in good condition - really?!

    To be fair, it was derelict for several years prior, they have increased security around it and how much can they do to to a derelict site.

    In saying that, there was permission granted for the demolition of the hotel, which was for 5 years, let lapse and extended by the council for an additional 2 years.

    They've since let that lapse too so they can't do anything to the site until they submit a new planning permission proposal. They are currently trying to get the city Councillors to change the zoning changed for the site before proceeding


  • Registered Users Posts: 12,752 ✭✭✭✭flazio


    So in other words, despite the look of dereliction and nothingness at the site, Red Tape work continues in offices to make the site work for them. I know its easy to begrudge the wealthy. But they didn't get their wealth by accident. They did it by clever (not hard, clever) work.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 18 Childrenswear


    flazio wrote: »
    So in other words, despite the look of dereliction and nothingness at the site, Red Tape work continues in offices to make the site work for them. I know its easy to begrudge the wealthy. But they didn't get their wealth by accident. They did it by clever (not hard, clever) work.

    I’d like to know their excuse for not paying the 112,500 owed - they can certainly afford it. My guess is they’re hoping the fine will be waived once the rezoning is sorted out.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 18 Childrenswear


    Wouldn’t it be nice if the Comers and the McHales would just donate the whole site to GMIT. It’s really just a tiny part of their property portfolio -they wouldn’t even miss it...


  • Site Banned Posts: 136 ✭✭rainybillwill


    Its a shame they wont develop the sites when rents in galway are at a all time high. I could understand it from foreign investors only interested in money not the people. For local men its disappointing. :(


  • Site Banned Posts: 136 ✭✭rainybillwill


    Wouldn’t it be nice if the Comers and the McHales would just donate the whole site to GMIT. It’s really just a tiny part of their property portfolio -they wouldn’t even miss it...

    The IT had a chance to buy it when it was something like 1.5 million but opted to spend the money on the facilities across the road.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,301 ✭✭✭gordongekko


    Its no different to the crown site of the boreham site on the dock. All derelict all vacant, All should be fine and all should be getting the same treatment on this. Im not sure what the hate for the comers is?


  • Site Banned Posts: 136 ✭✭rainybillwill


    Its no different to the crown site of the boreham site on the dock. All derelict all vacant, All should be fine and all should be getting the same treatment on this. Im not sure what the hate for the comers is?

    The Crown Square and Bonham Quay are both being developed. The Comers are sitting on derelict sites and will not develop them raising rents for the people of Galway.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,460 ✭✭✭at1withmyself


    raising rents for the people of Galway.

    It's not there fault, it's a hotel for feck sake, that's not effecting anyone's rent!


  • Registered Users Posts: 693 ✭✭✭grbear


    The levy was 3% in 2018, that's the 112,500 that they currently owe. The first year of applying it was basically a warning shot to the site owners in general.

    From 2019 the rate increases to 7% of the site value, so at the end of this year they will owe an additional 262,500 on top of the 2018 amount which is still outstanding.

    Each year after they pay the 7% value.

    By the end of year 5,they will have paid 1.1 million euro to the council if they haven't developed it by then.

    As you can see, there is a significant incentive now for developers to develop prime land and to reduce the appeal of speculation.
    Is there a mechanism in place for the value of the site to be reassessed? If an independent auctioneer/auditor/whoever the right person for the job is values the site at €10million (just to keep the maths easy) does the annual levy rise to €700,000?


  • Site Banned Posts: 136 ✭✭rainybillwill


    It's not there fault, it's a hotel for feck sake, that's not effecting anyone's rent!

    They own more then one property in Galway my friend.


  • Registered Users Posts: 539 ✭✭✭bertsmom


    Wouldn’t it be nice if the Comers and the McHales would just donate the whole site to GMIT. It’s really just a tiny part of their property portfolio -they wouldn’t even miss it...

    Why would they or indeed anyone do this they are business people not a charity. GMIT had the opportunity and didn't buy it.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 12,752 ✭✭✭✭flazio


    "Generosity" is not the answer to the housing crisis, so look elsewhere.


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