Residents in Noonan’s Road and St Finbarr’s Road welcome news of planned council visit

Residents in Noonan’s Road and St Finbarr’s Road social housing flats have welcomed news that members of the Cork City Council executive are to visit the area and inspect some of the homes there.

Appalling conditions in local authority housing in the neighbouring developments have been highlighted in The Echo in recent weeks, with residents complaining that they have been “abandoned” by the city council.

Tenants in the two flat complexes say they are living in dangerous and dilapidated homes which are prone to dampness and mould and which are regularly infested by rats and mice.

Residents have claimed that the city council has “forgotten” them, and has failed repeatedly to respond to requests to make repairs to their local authority housing, while some local councillors have expressed frustration that representations they have made over years have not resulted in action being taken.

Now residents have been told that Brian Geaney, Cork City Council’s assistant chief executive, and other members of the council executive, will visit Noonan’s Road and St Finbarr’s Road on Monday evening and will see first hand the conditions in which residents live.

Denis Hackett, who is a resident of the St Finbarr’s Road buildings, said council tenants were delighted to finally see what they hoped would be progress.

“I would be hopeful that the council executive would see that the buildings here are beyond repair, and need to be knocked and a new development put in their place, and people given the option then to move back in,” Mr Hackett said.

“I think everyone up here would be very hopeful that the right decision will be taken, but in the meantime, we will be calling on Cork City Council to get rid of the rat problem up here, and clean up the area and fix things up.

“It’s great that since The Echo and the radio stations covered the conditions we’re living in that we’ve had someone from the council up here weeding the place, so hopefully we’ll get some more attention once the executive visit us,” he said.

William O’Brien, a local activist who has been highlighting the plight of local residents in the Noonan’s Road and St Finbarr’s Road areas, said he was hopeful that the planned visit by the council executive on Monday evening would prove to be “historic”.

“This is a human rights issue for the residents of council properties, and I think this is going to be historic for Cork city, and for the country, as I think this is a national issue regarding the rights of council tenants,” Mr O’Brien said.

Fine Gael councillor Shane O’Callaghan welcomed the willingness of the council executive to visit the area and see the conditions in which tenants live.

“There badly needs to be a proper redevelopment of the Noonan’s Road and St Finbarr’s Road area, and the fact that the assistant chief executive Brian Geaney and the council executive are engaging with residents is a very positive development,” he said.

“I would like to pay tribute to William O’Brien for all of his work in highlighting the situation in the Noonan’s Road and Finbarr’s Road area.” 

Mr O’Callaghan said all six of the Cork South Central ward councillors were likely to attend the walkabout, and he added that some councillors from Cork South West had been invited too.

A spokesperson for Cork City Council said: "It was agreed at the last ordinary meeting of the members of Cork City Council that a walkabout in the Noonan’s Road area would be arranged between the local councillors and the city council executive. This is due to take place next Monday evening."