TO stimulate the local economy and create employment, Limerick City Council should opt for construction rather than purchasing homes. So says Cllr John Gilligan, backed by Cllr Maurice Quinlivan, who says that with 22,000 on the live register in Limerick city, the council should opt for construction. However, director of services, Kieran Lehane, said that with the high level of vacant units available, it could be argued that there is no need to construct new accommodation.
“There are in excess of 2,000 unoccupied units in the Limerick area but for the moment, we have to draw down the government allocation”.
Brendan Kenny, regeneration CEO, said some of the regeneration areas are looking worse than two years ago.
“Yes, people living in these areas get despondent and so do I – we have a responsibility to get as many projects as possible underway – this is now crucial but we will not knock a house if the tenants don’t want it…”
A total of €15.58million has been spent on the project to-date, which has been allocated €55million.
Said Cllr Pat Kennedy: “I’d like to see more tangible achievements and in the context of the overall €3billion promised from the government, the €15million received to-date is just one half per cent. There are people in Southill who were given promises but are still living in atrocious conditions – if any of them took legal action they would win…their homes are not fit for human habitation”.
Cllr Gerry McLoughlin observed;
“This is make or break time – by March it is vital that building now takes over from demolition on the estates.
“There must be more solid interaction between the planning, housing and regeneration agencies to produce a strong design plan in a matter of weeks for our 2010 housing budget, if we are to get buildings up soon”.
However, Mr Kenny insists that even if the economy had remained buoyant, the regeneration project would “not now be much further progressed in relation to physical development because consultation, planning, procurement, etc. takes time”.
Cllr Ger Fahy said that when regeneration got underway, communities believed that “someone was listening to them.
“But I never believed the demolition of over 500 houses on the southside would happen – only after discussion with households did we realise that lots of people never wanted their homes demolished. Unless we produce precise plans we are going nowhere – planning and design has to be done block by block, house by house.
“People want to know what’s in their best interest and trying to compensate those who bought their own homes compared to those who never spent a penny must also be considered”.
