'I'm pregnant and I worry about the effect the mould is having on all our health' - Residents feel 'abandoned' by Cork City Council 

Residents in social housing on Noonan’s Road say they have been “abandoned” by Cork City Council in homes they claim are unsafe and unfit for human habitation.

Several homes, seen by The Echo, have multiple incidents of black mould in interior rooms, and the brickwork on some exterior balconies appears to be crumbling.

Some residents say their homes have suffered repeated infestations of rats and mice, while others claim ceiling and roof leaks are regular occurrences, causing further problems with mould.

Paint, plaster and concrete bubbles and cracks on several exterior walls, while outside some homes, drainpipes are clogged with weeds and appear in a state of constant overflow.

Some areas behind the Noonan’s Road homes are completely overgrown and residents say this offers a haven to rodents.

A number of access routes by Noonan’s Road are blocked, and residents say used needles are regularly found there, with one little girl accidentally stepping barefoot upon one in recent times.

The exterior area outside the buildings is strewn with litter, and what appears to have once been a green area was long ago tarmacked over, but tree roots have caused the surface to become buckled and uneven.

Residents claim that despite repeated attempts to contact Cork City Council, there has been no engagement by a tenancy liaison officer.

One older Noonan’s Road resident told The Echo: “There’s 60 homes here and for nearly 60 years they’ve been neglected by Cork Corporation,” referring to Cork City Council and its predecessor.

Part of a wall blocking the exterior area from the pavement has been demolished, but the remains of the wall protrude from the ground and seem a clear trip hazard. Weeds protrude from tarmacked areas to the front of the buildings.

One resident, Rimgita Anusauskaite, 23, lives with her three-year-and-a-half-year-old daughter, in a flat they share with Rimgita’s parents and her sister.

Ms Anusauskaite said that despite multiple complaints, the heating in their home has not worked in the three years they have lived there.

“We try to clean off the mould from the walls and the ceilings, I scrub and clean, I’ve tried all the sprays, and nothing works because it keeps coming back,” she said.

“I’m pregnant and I worry about the effect the mould is having on all our health.

"My daughter is sick on and off a lot of the time, and we’ve had rats and mice coming into our room as well.

“We shouldn’t have to live like this, I’m ashamed to bring my friends here.” 

Community activist William O’Brien said the majority of residents in the Noonan’s Road flats are direct local authority tenants with Cork City Council and he said tenants feel they have been ignored and neglected.

“Having spoken with residents I have seen and heard first-hand the grief and suffering which has happened as a result of the poor state of a large number of the dilapidated properties in Noonan’s Road,” he said.

“With the vulnerable and poorest most ignored when raising housing issues, many tenants have been living here and raising families for over 30 years.

“Residents feel there has been a lack of communication and accountability to deal with everyday maintenance issues,” Mr O’Brien said.

“Over the past five years, tenants have been left dismayed after initial meetings with some of the local representatives and city council officials regarding a major retrofitting project for the area, and nothing has been done.” He said the area, which is close by two of the city’s leading tourist attractions, St Fin Barre’s Cathedral and Elizabeth Fort, has become a black spot in the community, and he said the city council needed to act immediately.

“I am calling on the housing department and executive officials at City Hall to establish a dedicated maintenance team responsible for ensuring compliance of minimum standards and to carry out urgent housing inspections on all of the properties in disrepair,” Mr O’Brien said.

Fianna Fáil’s Councillor Seán Martin told The Echo he had submitted to Cork City Council last month a motion to look at moving the Noonan’s Road tenants to new units within the area, demolishing the current properties and rebuilding.

“I think there’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, we’re years looking for a retrofit, it’s not happening, so there’s nearly 80 units going to come on stream, and I think there’s an ideal opportunity to decant the flats, knock them, and do a modern rebuild on the sites,” Cllr Martin said.

He said he was expecting a report from the housing directorate at September’s council meeting.

Cork City Council was asked for a comment.