AN extensive programme of repairs to a city centre housing development is now under way, thanks to the persistence of a local public representative.
Independent councillor for City North, John Gilligan, has welcomed what he describes as “long overdue repairs” to Verdant Crescent in the King’s Island.
After years of representing the Council tenants, who he claims, had to ensure years of inconvenience because of design faults with their homes, Cllr Gilligan has expressed satisfaction that the local authority has now commenced repair works.
He said the houses at Verdant Crescent were lovely to look at but caused tenants “no end of trouble”.
“The balconies, which were a striking feature of the development, were not fitted properly and some of them leaked into the sitting rooms. Although this problem was pointed out to the Council years ago by a building contractor related to one tenant affected, the Council ignored his advice to remove the slabs on the balconies and seal them properly with lead.”
“Countless times when I complained about water getting into the houses, the housing maintenance department replaced ceiling slabs on the inside which had fallen down and attempted to patch the outside with no success,” he claimed.
According to Cllr Gilligan, the maintenance department was not equipped to carry out structural failure, making efforts a “waste of time and money”.
“This led to loss and frustration on those who had to constantly redecorate their homes while having to live with fungus the size of mushrooms growing out of walls and ceilings,” said Gilligan.
Limerick City and County Council are also replacing doors and windows at Verdant Crescent. Cllr Gilligan claims the original ones “were no match for the winter gales blowing up the Shannon”.
“I sincerely hope that those who have suffered so much in the past will now enjoy their warm and dry homes,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for Limerick City and County Council confirmed it is undertaking works to improve thermal performance to a VER rating of C on all houses from 1 to 14 at Verdant Crescent.
According to the local the authority, works required on each house varies depending on the pre-works assessment but generally consist of upgrades to the heating controls to give each resident zoned heating and hot water supply controlled by time and temperature.
“The external walls have full-fill pumped insulation enhanced by 300 mm of mineral fibre insulation in the attics. Low energy windows and doors are being installed throughout and air tightness measures are being incorporated around new windows and service penetrations to reduce ventilation heat loss.
In those houses which have had significant water infiltration, replacement balcony roofs or parapet replacements are being constructed. In addition we are painting external walls and railings to lift the appearance of the whole block,” a Council spokeswoman said.
