A TINY shelter has cost taxpayers more than €360,000 to refurbish — with TDs fuming: It’s insane.
The 8ft-tall hut was used by firemen and bus drivers for protection against the weather.
It stood on St Patrick’s Street, in Cork city, from 1892 until 2003 before being removed and put in storage.
Last year, the structure — known as the Fireman’s Hut — was re-erected outside Cork City Fire Brigade’s HQ on Anglesea Street.
But politicians are raging at learning the bill for doing up the shelter — which cost a mere £60 pounds to build — now stands at €361,446.
Cork North-Central TD Ken O’Flynn said it was ridiculous to spend over €300,000 restoring something the size of a garden shed.
He said: “How many houses could be brought back into the housing stock by doing renovations to bring them up to date?
“This is exactly the same rubbish we saw in Leinster House with the bicycle shed that cost €336,000.
“It’s absolutely appalling and we haven’t yet gotten a full breakdown of how the costs were incurred.”
Last year it emerged an eye-watering €336,000 was spent on a bike shed at Leinster House.
Some €1.4million was also spent on a security hut at Government Buildings.
And Cork City Council member Peter Horgan described the latest payout as “absolutely mad — insane”.
He said: “We talk about the cost of bicycle sheds, and security huts and now we have something like this that isn’t even useable is a disgrace. It’s a nice historical piece and that’s it.”
‘SCANDALOUS’
And Sinn Fein TD Thomas Gould, who received the most recent bill, described the saga as “scandalous”.
He said the council “has questions to answer”, adding: “I cannot wrap my head around how almost €5,000 was spent on scaffolding for a hut that’s not even eight feet tall.
“Alongside this, almost €20,000 was spent on conservation consultants? That is mind-blowing.”
He said the costs seem to keep growing after last year being told the bill would be in the region of €300,000 — with Deputy Gould fearing the spend on the hut will continue to rocket up.
In a statement, Cork City Council said: “The project was subject to a competitive tendering process and therefore prices are reflective of the market prices for such skills and experience.”
