‘I never wanted to leave here’: No relocation offer yet to Cork resident impacted by council plan

A social housing tenant whose home is to be demolished says the only notice she got from Cork City Council was a sign on her lawn yesterday morning.

The council advertised yesterday, as part of its Part 8 public notice, its intention to demolish blocks two and four of the Noonan’s Rd flats.

The 60 Noonan’s Rd flats were built 60 years ago by the then Cork Corporation.

Many of the flats have seen issues with crumbling masonry, damp, mould, and rodent infestation for years.

Brenda Thompson said she had lived there for 21 years, adding that the only notice she had received of the planned demolition was a sign on her lawn yesterday morning.

“There’s been a lot of problems with mould and damp over the years, but I wanted them to come and fix the problems. I never wanted to leave here, I love it here,” she said.

Two years ago, The Echo highlighted a campaign led by tenants and housing activist William O’Brien against conditions in the flats on Noonan’s Rd, St Finbarr’s Rd, Fort St, and Dean St.

In September 2023, tenants were told the council favoured rehousing them, demolishing the dilapidated flats, and redeveloping the sites.

Now, all but a dozen of the Noonan’s Rd flats are vacant.

The council said it intends to demolish block two, “ie 13-28 inclusive” and block four, “ie 45-60 inclusive”.

The planned demolition, a senior council source told The Echo, will see blocks two and four knocked “by the end of September”, with the remaining two blocks to be knocked by the end of the year.

Block two is now entirely vacant, but two of the flats in block four remain occupied.

One of the tenants in block four declined to give their name, but said they had not been told that the council intended to demolish their home, and said they had not been offered a transfer to another property.

The other tenant, Ms Thompson, said she never wanted to leave.

“I asked for a transfer 12 years ago, but that was only in the hope they’d move me out, do what they needed to do, and then move me back in,” she said.

“They never did the work, so I got into the habit of trying to fix the place myself.

“I am traumatised I have to leave — and if they want me to move out in the middle of the winter, I can’t be doing that.

“I can’t face another winter here, and I don’t want to be moving in the middle of the winter either, but they haven’t offered me another place, and now you’re telling me it’s going to be knocked.”

Housing activist William O'Brien said he felt tenants like Ms Thompson deserved to be treated with more respect.

"I think it is shocking that the only communication the council had with Brenda to tell her that her home is to be knocked was to put a sign on her lawn," he said.

"You would expect that the council would show more respect to its tenants."

A spokesperson for Cork City Council said it does not comment on individual cases.

“Relocations are undertaken on a case-by-case basis informed by the personal circumstances of each household,” they said.

“The council continues to engage with residents of the Noonan Rd area to ensure timely and appropriate relocations in advance of the future development of the area.”