Kenny fighting for regeneration funding
THERE is not a snowball’s chance in heaven that a sub committee of the Cabinet will accept an invitation to travel down to City Hall in Limerick to answer questions regarding the future of Limerick’ Regeneration programme.
That is the view of the chairman of the City Council’s Housing Committee, Cllr Joe Leddin, commenting on Cllr Pat Kennedy’s notice of motion to “bring the Cabinet down here to spell out where exactly Regeneration is going”.
Calling for accountability, Cllr Pat Kennedy said the time had come to end Trappist silence.
Dispelling the absence of Brendan Kenny, chief executive of Limerick Regeneration from a scheduled meeting in City Hall, Cllr Leddin said there was absolutely so sinister significance in this as Mr Kenny was at that moment meeting with officials in the Department of the Environment in Dublin “fighting for funding” to get the proposals sent to the Cabinet at the end of March, underway.
“We have had Willie O’Dea promising to get building on half demolished estates fast-tracked but nothing happened. Mr Kenny and the Regeneration agencies are now pushing for approval of the package of proposals they have recommended, and if the government doesn’t deliver within six weeks, it will be the biggest cod they have ever delivered. I believe we have gone so far that the government can’t now walk away – to do so, would be the biggest cod they have ever played on the people of Limerick.
“I don’t think the government will turn around now and abandon us, and while we understand why the private sector is not interested in investing in regeneration in this economic climate, it wouldn’t serve the government to abandon it now.
“Last week, the Minister for Finance launched the National Solidarity Bonds – I think they should be earmarked for the specific project of Limerick Regeneration and we should send out this message”.
Insisting that accountability be provided, Cllr Pat Kennedy said: “We don’t want Trappist silence on this – we need accountability – building must commence on the estates. As it is we have no written report – we are in the dark”.
The meeting heard that the original allocation of €1.6billion is now reduced to €91,800 million.
Brendan Hayden, chief executive of Regeneration Southside, said that while the public spend had to be reduced, building costs have diminished by 25%.
“Therefore, we amended the figures to suit the current economic situation but communities will not lose out – we have a blueprint in place for the next 15 years and the 26 projects we have identified can be moved on over the next 15 years. Those proposals will be made available to the councillors shortly but we don’t want to go pubic and heighten people’s expectations when we don’t know the government’s plans – we expect to know in six weeks”.
