Council secures home in Limerick village occupied by ‘squatters’

LIMERICK City and County Council has boarded up a house in Bruree after it was occupied by squatters.

A council spokesperson said they were notified of the “unauthorised occupation” of a property it owned in Bruree. The Leader understands the squatters – a couple not from the village – entered the bungalow at St Munchin’s Terrace on or around April 6.

A week later, the council moved to re-secure the property.

“There were no occupants present on the day. The only damage of note was caused by interference to the front door lock,” said the council spokesperson.

A garda spokesperson said gardai attended at the request of the council on April 13 “where the council were securing council property”.

€500k art project earmarked for Limerick street is kicked to the ‘curve’

A local resident told the Leader that it is the only council-owned property in the estate. “It’s all boarded up now and looks awful. It’s like something you’d see in the city. It is unfair on the rest of the residents. It is a fine house. I don’t know how it has been left idle for so long in the middle of a housing crisis,” they said.

A council spokesperson confirmed the property has been unoccupied since November 2016. “It is in need of major refurbishment works to bring it up to standard for occupation and funding had not been available,” they said. However, funding of in excess of €150,000 has now been secured from the Department of Housing for a major refurbishment.

“A tendering process will commence in the coming weeks. The project will have a construction period of six months. Once complete the property will return to the council’s housing stock,” said the spokesperson, who added that the council does not condone unauthorised occupation of vacant properties for a variety of reasons.

Houses, they added, are let in accordance with the council’s allocation scheme.

“If the council was not to take action in relation to illegal occupation of its housing stock, it would totally undermine the legitimate aspirations of those people on the waiting list, many of whom are there for a very lengthy period,” said the spokesperson.