Works have begun on the Grand Hotel in Tramore.
The hotel has lain empty and in a state of near dereliction for the past 6 years.
Waterford Council had been pursuing the owner, Guoqing Wu, through the courts since a derelict sites notice was issued in 2018.
Workmen appeared on site on Tuesday.
Cllr Eamon Quinlan told councillors at Tuesday evening's Metropolitan meeting, that Tramore business owners had approached the workmen to find out what was going on and were simply told 'the hotel is not for sale'.
The Tramore councillor said he was afraid the owner was doing 'a small amount of work' in an attempt to frustrate the council's pursuit of them.
The Council's senior planner Liam McGree said the owners had met with local authority officials on site and a schedule of works had been agreed:
"We had had some difficulty in making direct contact and serving notices, but they have made contact and we have met them on site and a schedule of works has been agreed between themselves and the council. So we're satisfied that they are moving to address the issue of dereliction."
Cllr Quinlan queried what a 'schedule of works to avoid dereliction' meant:
"Does that mean to spruce up the place but not have it back as a going concern?"
Mr McGree said if the building was renovated to the extent that it no longer had a negative impact on the buildings around it, then it was no longer deemed derelict.
However, the senior planner said there was very little the council could do "to insist on a building being used for a purpose we might specify".
In a statement issued after the meeting Cllr Quinlan said “ I straight up called it what it was, a Con Job. For literally years Councillors have been seeking to place a compulsory purchase order on the building. The loss of that hotel in the heart of Tramore isn’t just an appearance issue. The loss of trade has a knock on effect to all surrounding small businesses. Many of which went to the wall. We were told again and again in meetings with the executive that the CPO nuclear option wasn’t the best way to go but rather exercise our powers under derelict sites legislation. Now we are being told that this will just lead to in effect a slap of paint on the outside of the building. After almost 6 years, solicitor fees, barrister fees, case scheduling in the High Court, all for a bit of a makeover but leave it sitting there as an empty shell. I feel very betrayed over this issue and I know that is a sentiment held by several other Councillors. We won’t be letting this go. Not by a long shot”,
