'They've been abandoned': Tenants in northside estate to protest housing conditions

Council tenants in a Cork city estate which was built less than 15 years ago say they feel “abandoned” in homes which are prone to leaking roofs, damp, mildew and mould, while their area is “overrun” with rats.

The Glentrasna estate in The Glen consists of just over 100 houses, most of which are social housing homes, and most of the development was completed by 2010, but residents claim the roofing of many buildings is prone to leaks, and as a result dampness and mould is a recurring issue for many.

Tenants intend to hold a rally at 5.30pm this evening to protest what they say are poor living conditions and a lack of action by Cork City Council to address their concerns.

One tenant, speaking to The Echo on condition of anonymity, said that she and her family had moved into the estate just over a decade ago and “from very early on” there had been problems.

“When we moved in we were delighted, it’s a lovely estate, but very soon we had problems with water,” she said.

“When it rains heavily, you can see the water stains on the walls, and then in the bathroom, although the fan is working properly, damp started forming and the ceiling started peeling, mould started appearing, and while we did fix it all ourselves, used the bleach on it, repainted and repainted it, we bought the special paint and all, the problem is still there.” 

She said the bath in her bathroom is plastic and is leaking into the ceiling on the downstairs toilet.

She said she has been complaining to the council for over 10 years.

“They did come out a few times, they said ‘You need a plumber’, but the plumber never came out," she claimed.

Daniel Sweeney, who has lived in The Glen for over 50 years, claimed that people dumping rubbish in the area was exacerbating the problem with rats, and he said more bins would help the situation.

Christa Daley, who has lived in the estate for over a decade, said that on 2 February 2014, a series of concrete walls behind her row of houses collapsed.

She said that the council “eventually” came and replaced the walls with chicken-wire, but the collapse opened holes in cavity walls, creating a rat-run.

“We’ve tried to fill it in ourselves with concrete, but each time the rats have broken down the concrete,” Ms Daley said.

“These rats are massive, they are the size of cats, they’re into our attics, the council is aware of the rat problem, it’s a complete health hazard, they are aware and they have done nothing about it," she claimed.

Helen Murphy, who has been a tenant for 13 years, said her upstairs neighbour had passed away several years ago, and the property has been vacant since.

“They had a flood, and I have been dealing with dampness and I've had chest infections ever since,” she said.

“My experience was that some of the people who spoke with me treated me with contempt. Not all of them, but some. It was extremely stressful."

Another tenant, who gave her name as “Jean”, has lived in Glentrasna for two years with her 11-year-old daughter, showed The Echo the damp on her daughter’s bedroom wall.

“My daughter is a chronic asthmatic, and the council did come out and put vents into the room, but the damp is actually worse since,” she said.

“The only other time they came out was when I had water coming from the [upstairs residence] down the walls and there was literally water coming up from my floor, and the smell was horrible, and they came out then, and I’ve had no leakage since, but I’m terrified it will happen again.” 

Socialist councillor Brian McCarthy, who represents the neighbouring North-West ward, said he had become involved as residents had asked him for help.

“This is another aspect of the housing crisis, these people have homes, but look at the condition of them,” he said. 

"These people have tried for year after year to get help from the council, email after email, and they've been ignored. 

"It's actually worse than being ignored, they've been abandoned."

Cork City Council was asked for a comment.