Cork city social housing flats overrun by rats, say remaining tenants

Some of the remaining council tenants in 60-year-old social housing flats on Noonan’s Road and St Finbarr’s Road have claimed the area is “overrun” with rats.

Currently 28 of the 64 flats in Noonan’s Road are shuttered, while nine of the 26 on St Finbarr’s Road are closed, with tenants moved out to other properties.

Some residents have claimed that there has been a surge in the local rat population since people began moving out, and they have blamed a combination of some former tenants leaving food and refuse in vacant flats, and a lack of council cleaning of the area.

Last September, tenants on Noonan Road, St Finbarr’s Road, Fort Street, and Dean Street were told by Cork City Council that it favours rehousing tenants, demolishing the dilapidated flats, and redeveloping the sites.

In photographs and videos seen by The Echo, live rats are shown trapped in cages, while several more are killed in traps.

“In one of the flats, when the tenant moved out, they left a fridge with food and all in it, and when the contractors came in, there was a scatter of rats.

“They had to get Rentokil in, there was families of rats living in there, it was horrific,” one resident said.

“And those rats are travelling through all the ceilings and the walls in the flats now.

“This is going on for over a year now and they’re still not answering phones, don’t reply back to emails.

"There doesn’t seem to be anything suitable, like, we’re not looking for anything special, but can they not just look after us?” he asked.

The rehousing announcement by the council came after a campaign last summer by tenants, highlighted by The Echo, against rodent-infested, mould-ridden housing conditions later described by the council’s chief executive, Ann Doherty, as “shocking”.

VISIT

In late July last year, Ms Doherty and assistant chief executive Brian Geaney visited the area for a two-hour walkabout.

At the time, residents said that a major clean-up of the area had begun in the week before the chief executive’s visit, but that such works were stalled after the visit.

Now, more than a year after the visit, over a third of the flats on Noonan’s Rd and St Finbarr’s Rd have been shuttered, and neighbours claim the area has not been properly cleaned since and is “overrun” with rats.

A resident said that the clean-up ahead of the visit by Ms Doherty still irritated her.

“We shouldn’t have left them do it, it was like they were getting ready for a royal visit, the place hadn’t been cleaned in years and it hasn’t been cleaned since either,” she claimed.

“I’m afraid to hang out my laundry now because it’s all overgrown around the place and there’s three or four rats in there would nearly talk to you at this stage.”

Another resident said he was despairing that he and his family would ever be moved out of the flats.

A spokesperson for Cork City Council said an information meeting had been held for all residents on April 29, at which a dedicated project liaison officer (PLO) was present.

“The PLO is continuing the process of meeting with individual tenants to discuss their housing needs one on one,” said the spokesperson.

“The nature of the engagement process takes time as the requirements and preferences of tenants need to be discussed and agreed individually and options considered as they arise.”

The spokesperson added that the council is assisting departing tenants with the removal and disposal of unwanted house contents.

“As always, Cork City Council will continue to address any service requests received in regard to rodents and clean-outs at Noonan’s Rd and St Finbarr’s Rd and will continue to attend the area to assist with any clean-ups where necessary and appropriate.”