Symptom of what is happening in construction industry
DUE to get underway about now, construction of the first new houses in the Regeneration programme has been halted due to problems encountered by the construction company involved. Three weeks ago the Limerick Post reported that building was due to get underway in Cliona Park, Moyross, of a total of 13 units of two and three bedroom houses and some 20 apartments, in the first phase of the Regeneration’s building programme.
With a number of its projects now put on hold, the construction company involved has laid off 450 workers.
Voicing his disappointment at the development, the Limerick Regeneration chief executive, Brendan Kenny, said the new build in Moyross would have given people new hope that the regeneration programme was moving ahead.
“It is very unfortunate that this has happened but it’s a symptom of what’s happening in the construction industry,” he said.
“However, if the preferred contractor cannot produce a bond we will approach the next preferred company which tendered for the project.
“We had been hoping to start the work before this but we are conscious that there are problems in the industry.”
The new houses and apartments were, as outlined in the Regeneration Masterplan, to be allocated to senior citizens.
Speaking to this newspaper some weeks ago, Regeneration executive, Brendan Hayden, said;
“We will follow the Moyross development shortly, with the construction of new housing in Southill and St Mary’s Park, each build costing in the region of €4million”.
Over the past two years, a sense of disillusionment and concern had grown among residents of the estates earmarked for regeneration, as time went by and hundreds of houses had been demolished on the estates, without one new house being built.
The €3billion project was to ultimately see 4,790 new houses built and a further 2,450 replaced, with the expectation that the State would invest €1.6billion and a further €1.4bn coming from the private sector.
Frequently over the past year, city councillors have highlighted the demoralising effect that vast demolition, without subsequent construction of new houses, was having on residents of the estates involved.
The recent confirmation that the construction of new housing was ready to get underway in Cliona Park, Moyross, had been welcomed as a badly needed boost to morale.
It was confirmed in early May that an allocation of €35million has been granted to Limerick Regeneration for 2011.
Mr Kenny said that while they had been hoping to get building underway before now, they are conscious of the problems the construction industry is encountering.
