Anger over new housing project in County Limerick town

RESIDENTS and councillors in Abbeyfeale have found themselves in sharp disagreement with Limerick City and County Council over the council’s proposal for an in-fill development of seven houses in the town.

Moves by Cllrs Francis Foley and Seamus Browne to have the €1.59m ringfenced for the  project re-assigned and transferred to the regeneration of another, nearby, scheme of 12 houses failed to gain traction with council officials at a meeting of the Newcastle West Municipal District this Wednesday.

Meanwhile, local residents are angry they have just days to lodge their objections. The closing date for submissions to the council proposal is mid-night on Tuesday next.

“This whole process has not been dealt with in an open and transparent fashion,” Cathy Sheehy, secretary of the New Street Residents Association said. The drawings for the plan were originally placed in Limerick, but not locally, she pointed out.

“We were weeks looking for a proper consultation meeting. We were told there would be new drawings. Now, a week before the deadline we are getting different versions. That is what people are angry about. They feel that the council is trying to get it through under the radar.”

The council’s proposal involves demolishing two houses it owns at the junction of New Street and Colbert Terrace and building seven two-bedroomed houses along Colbert Terrace, in the rear gardens of the demolished houses.

But, Ms Sheehy pointed out, the primary objective purpose in buying the two houses was to widen the junction on New Street and allow two-way traffic flow freely along Colbert Terrace as part of the multi-million euro traffic management plan for the town.

Residents believe putting a row of seven houses along the terrace would be detrimental to safety in the area. What is needed, along with a widened roadway and safe junction, are proper footpaths to ensure safety for pedestrians, motorists and trucks. They are also opposing the project on density grounds.

“People deserve to live in a safe, sustainable home,” Ms Sheehy said. “This proposal is not suitable for family living.”

Meanwhile, at Wednesday’s Municipal District meeting, Cllr Francis Foley said when they were first briefed about opening up the junction, “we were told there would be no social housing there.” He had learnt of the proposal through the Limerick Leader, he said. “Nobody is denying we need social housing,” Cllr Foley continued. (The meeting had earlier been told that the council waiting list in Abbeyfeale has now increased to 125).

But, the Fianna Fail councillor argued, the money earmarked for the seven-house project should be used instead to acquire and refurbish the terrace of 12 houses further along Colbert Terrace. It would be a golden opportunity, he said.

Cllr Seamus Browne SF backed his proposal but challenged the official answer that it couldn’t be done. The issue had been badly handled, he charged, and he argued the proposed new houses would not address the need for regeneration of that part of the town.

“People genuinely feel ye are neither addressing the housing issue nor the traffice or ye are doing both badly,” he said. “That junction  should be a junction and nothing more.” 

Cllr Liam Galvin FG  said he was unhappy with the proposal as it stands. Challenged by Fianna Fail’s Michael Collins, he said he had welcomed the money for new housing in Abbeyfeale but not the development as proposed.

Director of services Gordon Daly rejected the charge they had not followed due process. They had identified a need for more social housing in Abbeyfeale, he said.

“We need to get more people living in Abbeyfeale,” he added.

But they did not have funding to buy and renovate the existing houses in Colbert Terrace.