MOYROSS residents have sharply criticised the Limerick Mayor John Moran for stalling a development of around 80 homes in the city estate.
Moyross parish priest Fr Pat Hogan, along with Adrian Power, a local family support coordinator and chair of the Moyross Partners Group, said the Mayor had stalled the development of 78 houses in Pineview Gardens without consulting local people.
They argued that the Mayor’s intervention in the plans would not only delay the houses, which have been the pipeline for 10 years, but would also compound “mental health issues” and addiction for people living in “overcrowded” houses in the area.
“Overwhelmingly the biggest need in this area is housing,” said Mr Power, who told this newspaper that residents are annoyed that “there was no consultation with residents” about the Mayor’s plans.
“A lot of people here are living in mostly overcrowded homes and on the Council’s housing list waiting for homes to be built. Former residents who moved out during Regeneration are looking to move back to Moyross.”
Mr Power said he sent an invitation to the Mayor’s office to meet with local representatives and consult them on his plans, but he did not get a response.
“We are in the dark,” he added.
“As far as we were concerned, the planning permission was supposed to be in the last month and it was supposed to start very soon, but unfortunately that’s been stopped now.”
“There are a lot of people still here living together with three or four generations in one house. A lot of people are suffering from mental health issues and addiction along with a myriad of other issues.
“We would have always seen the Pineview Gardens development as a massive step in the right direction for tackling these issues. For it to be stopped or reviewed or whatever it is now raises huge concerns with us.”
Fr Hogan feels like years of planning the Pineview development have been put in jeopardy.
“We elected a mayor and when we go for planning, the Mayor says ‘put it on hold, we’re not going ahead with that plan’,” the parish priest hit out.
“The Mayor is now bringing in the Royal Institute for Architects in Ireland (RIAI) to do a whole new plan for Moyross. Why would you do that to people who have waited 10 years wondering are the houses going to be knocked, and who have gone through two years of consultation?
“We are asking the Mayor to please let this development go ahead. The biggest need in this area is housing. When you don’t house people correctly, it leads to problems.”
Fr Hogan added that “government funding for social projects for children in the estate is also dependent on houses being built here – so no houses no funding”.
He stressed that Moyross and other parts of Limerick have suffered as “unemployment blackspots”, warning that “one of the challenges facing the Mayor is to eliminate blackspots in Limerick. However, if you stop housing developments, you’re actually adding to blackspots.”
Defending his decision to halt permission for the 78 homes, Mayor Moran said he had indicated his plan to conduct a design review of the development in his election manifesto prior to being elected last June.
This, he said, would include “significant growth potential to set parameters for private and public housing on those lands so that a holistic vision of our new city emerges”.
“I have already held meetings with the RIAI and the LDA (Land Development Agency) in pursuit of this goal, which is included in my 101 Actions. In Limerick, we have only limited public land available and a deficit of affordable homes.”
Mayor Moran said he wanted to see a train station in Moyross but asked “is it right to take a risk that the current plans for Pineview Gardens are not in line with the government’s Transport Oriented Development (TOD) strategy that seeks to maximise the provision of housing, employment, public services, and leisure space within close proximity to transport nodes?”
The Mayor said his design review plans of Pineview Gardens “is to justify a train station in Moyross by rebuilding housing and other facilities in Moyross consistent with the government TOD strategy”.
“We do not want to make a mistake today that could deny Moyross important infrastructure like a train station. I believe a small delay is worth avoiding that risk.”
Mr Moran said he “would be delighted to meet with all interested parties” about his plans.
