Andrew Carey
€10m set aside to fund demolition
DANGEROUS and unfinished ghost estates that have been described as a “monument to the skeleton of the Celtic Tiger” are to be demolished at a cost to the taxpayer it has been confirmed by the Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan.
Speaking in Limerick in the wake of a leaked Government proposals, Minister Noonan said the information on the State’s worst unfinished estates was correct and that money from the Department of the Environment would be set aside to pay for the demolition of the estates in question.
The proposal, spearheaded by Minister of State for Housing Jan O’Sullivan, will see bulldozers move into some 40 estates that pose serious health and safety risks.
Mr Noonan said that he does not believe “big money” will be needed to demolish ghost estates that are a “monument to the skeleton of the Celtic Tiger”.
“Some of these unfinished estates are in places where there is no demand for houses, so there is no point in having half built houses standing there as a monument to the skeleton of the Celtic Tiger… In interest of safety they should be knocked, but I don’t know the details of the plan,” Minister Noonan said.
When asked if the taxpayer will be footing the bill for the developers again, Minister Noonan said that he understood the Department of the Environment had some money but added “in the overall scheme of things I don’t think we are talking about very big money”.
“Basically it is for work for bulldozers and JCBs. It’s for knocking half built developments. Houses where the blocks are laid, the foundations are in, but very little else has happened and they are just laying there with weeds growing up through them and kids breaking in to play. They are a danger so we have to act in the interest of safety,” he continued.
Stressing that he had not seen the contents of Minister Jan O’Sullivan’s report, the Finance Minister said that he thought it was a very good idea “in principle”.
Also speaking in Limerick this Monday, Minister of State for Housing Jan O’Sullivan said the report on the demolition plan would be published in two weeks.
She insisted the plan was not about the State deciding which estates should be knocked and said the process would involve discussions and seeking cooperation from the various interest groups.
When asked who would be paying for the demolition Minister O’Sulllivan said:
“The State doesn’t have an obligation in this regard as these would have been privately constructed with private bank loans and so that’s why its not about the state saying we are going to knock them. It is about getting cooperation from the various interests groups involved to make decisions about the ones that should not be completed,” she said.
Minsiter O’Sullivan said there is a fund of €10m that was allocated in the budget.
However, she this was for estates where houses can be successfully completed and where the sale of property would generate private money to finish off the estate.
“We want to reach a completion stage whereby the ones that are simply not buildable and where there isn’t a market, that those ones will go and we will complete the others, and get rid of this Celtic Tiger legacy,” she added.
“We are going to look at whoever lent the money in the first place and we are going to look at the local authorities and all of the interest groups involved. It isn’t the case of the State deciding we are going to knock, them its’s about working with the various interests and to ensure the best and snensible decisions are made.”
The Minister concluded that the estates in question throughout the country would be returned to agricultural use.
