This article is from page 19 of the 2011-07-19 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 19 JPG
WORK ON A 22-unit housing development in Shannon which has raised concerns among locals is to resume this week, after a new contractor was appointed.
Clare County Council has entered into an agreement with Atlantic Developments Ltd. to complete the affordable homes at Glaisse na Rinne.
The scheme started in 2009 and came to a standstill in August 2010. The council terminated the contract with the original builders and the work has been at a standstill since then. The work is expected to be completed within 16 weeks.
While it is expected to assist in reducing housing waiting lists in Shannon, residents living in the nearby Cluain Airne estate say they want a number of issues clarified.
“While it is great that we can get it finished, we are still unclear about the new legislation by Minister Willie Penrose that the affordable scheme is gone. When these 22 are finished as affordable, our problem is if the next phase goes ahead, will they be social? Do they still go ahead as affordable or do they have to reapply under social?” said the secretary of the Concerned Residents of Cluain Airne group, Nicole Murphy.
“Do they still go ahead or do they have to reapply under social? We were objecting completely to the houses from day one because of where they were built and if they were social houses we were objecting. We were promised it was going to be affordable,” said Ms Murphy.
“There may be a start date but what is the actual story on these houses?” she asked.
“We want to know if parking has been allocated for the residents of Cluain Airne as parking was promised. Also the last bit of the green area needs to be restored. We want it done as soon as possible. We want a guarantee. We don’t want social housing down there, not when affordable were agreed to,” she added.
Since the concerned residents group was set up in 2007, they repeatedly stated that they did not want the houses built in the area and argued that there was inadequate infrastructure in the area to cope with the new houses. Residents also expressed concerns over the closure of the right of way.
Meanwhile, Shannon councillor Patricia McCarthy (Independent), paid tribute to the existing residents of the area who she said “have had to endure living beside a development site and the consequent inconvenience for much longer than they had ever anticipated”.
Cllr McCarthy is one of a number of elected representatives in the town who raised the issue since the project came to a standstill last year.