Flats on Noonan's Rd and surrounding areas to be demolished

COUNCIL flats built 60 years ago, which tenants say have been “abandoned” by Cork City Council, are to be demolished following a residents’ campaign which was highlighted in The Echo.

Some 164 council tenants on Noonan’s Rd, St Finbarr’s Rd, Fort St, and Dean St — 129 adults and 35 children — have been told by the city council that it favours the demolition of their homes and the redevelopment of the sites.

In a letter to tenants yesterday, the council said: 

“This would require, on a phased basis, the temporary relocation of all residents, with an option to return to the redeveloped new homes or, if they wish, remain living at their relocated home”.

Tenants are assured in the letter that they will be consulted on the redevelopment and that ongoing maintenance issues will be addressed by the council.

They are further told that any redevelopment plans will take time, and nobody will be asked to leave their homes immediately.

In early July, several tenants contacted this newspaper to describe appalling conditions in homes plagued by crumbling walls, leaking ceilings, recurring instances of black mould and mildew, as well as rodent infestation.

Later that month, Cork City Council’s chief executive Ann Doherty visited Noonan’s Rd and St Finbarr’s Rd, accompanied by assistant chief executive Brian Geaney and city architect Tony Duggan.

During that visit, Ms Doherty, who has been chief executive since 2014, said she was “shocked” at living conditions in the flats, telling tenants:

“All I can do is say is I’m really sorry that you’ve been let down over the years”.

In comments which subsequently proved controversial, she added: “I mean, some of you have told me things and showed me things that a couple of arses need kicking, to be honest, because it’s not acceptable, and that will be dealt with.” Ms Doherty later said she had been referring to private contractors working for the council, but she declined to name them.

Ten days after the visit, The Echo published details from a December 2022 Cork City Council draft report, which found “major structural defects” in the Noonan’s Rd and St Finbarr’s Rd flats and recommended, in the strongest terms, the demolition of the buildings.

During their visit, Ms Doherty and Mr Geaney gave a commitment to tenants that they would report back to them and to and local councillors in September.

Fine Gael councillor and chairman of the Cork South-Central ward, Shane O’Callaghan, said he felt a full redevelopment of the sites was the best solution. 

“In my view, a refurbishment would only be papering over the cracks, whereas this is the most positive way to go for the residents,” he said.

Fianna Fáil councillor Seán Martin said a new development would be “a flagship project for the council”.

“It would be beneficial to people living there and to new people coming in, with a proper housing mix that would take into account people living with disabilities, people wishing to downsize, and family sizes,” he said.

Local housing advocate William O’Brien, who has been a leading voice in highlighting living conditions in council accommodation in Noonan’s Rd and surrounding areas, said tenants were cautiously optimistic that yesterday’s letter was a sign of progress, but he said nobody was taking anything for granted.

“We started this campaign initially just to try and keep further harm from coming to people who had been abandoned in a black spot for years,” he said. 

“What’s very important to remember is that council tenants are still living in a hazardous environment in Noonan’s Rd, in St Finbarr’s Rd, in Fort St and in Dean St, and in other council properties around the city, and when we look at people’s psycho-social health, we can’t overlook what has been allowed to happen over so many years.”

Mr O’Brien, who intends to run for Cork City Council in next summer’s local elections, said it needed to be remembered that people were still living in terrible conditions.

“Every night of the week I’m meeting tenants who are living in homes crawling with rats and mice,” he said.