Locals demand action on dilapidated Shannon Oaks Hotel

The billionaire owners of the Shannon Oaks Hotel in Portumna – lying vacant since it was destroyed by fire in 2011 – have been asked to either redevelop the property themselves or sell it on to someone who will.

The Comer Group have come in for criticism for making promises late last year to reconstruct the hotel – and still not making any progress.

The Shannon Oaks Action Group said that the hotel’s restoration was necessary for the economic benefit of the town – and that Portumna had suffered financially from its absence.

The group have called on the Comers to make some moves towards the redevelopment of the hotel as it was an essential asset to the town.

Businessman Paul Dillon, who is Chairman of the Action Group, said that the owners of the Shannon Oaks gave a commitment back in October 2018 that they would be rebuilding on the site by the end of the first quarter of this when they had finished the refurbishment of the Shearwater Hotel in Ballinasloe which they also own.

He said that the final design for the redevelopment of the Shannon Oaks and an artist’s impression of what the hotel would look like.

“As we near the end of the first quarter of 2019, there is no sign of the builders or even the communication of the builders arriving on site for the rebuilding project.

“We would see this as not a good sign. Portumna is now going into its eighth year without a hotel and the Comer Property Group have the owned the hotel since 2015.

“Many promises over the four years of ownership have been made on the hotel being rebuilt but each time the company has let the region down.

“We fully expect the Comer Property Group to fulfil their recent promise made in October and November 2018 and start the rebuilding in the next couple of weeks as promised.

“We are hoping the Comers do fulfil their promise that they announced the redevelopment of the hotel with much fanfare and they even the attached pictures of what the new hotel wold look like,” Mr Dillon said.

He added that the only option left for the Comer Group is to either build the hotel or sell the property.

Luke Comer told The Connacht Tribune that the plans are to rebuild the hotel but he recently got a quote of €7 million to carry out the development which he said was excessive.

Local Councillor Jimmy McClearn has also expressed disappointment at the lack of progress on the hotel and described it as a necessary development for the economy of the town.

“It was generally hoped that work would have commenced by now and there is disappointment that this has not happened. And more concerning is the fact that there is not time scale for the works to commence,” Cllr McClearn added.

The Comers, originally from Glenamaddy, own some 40 hotels across the world including eight in this country.