‘I think I’ll have to sell my home’ – Drogheda resident says new council estate ‘leaves me with no privacy’
A Drogheda pensioner has spoken out about his fears of a “serious loss of privacy” as a new social housing development takes shape beside his home.
Kieran Tyrell, a long-time resident of Castle Manor on the Ballymakenny Road, says the scale and proximity of the Louth County Council project have left him deeply distressed.
“I’m going to be 70 this year. I don’t deserve the stress of this at my age,” Mr Tyrell said as he looked out from his property towards the construction site, where new homes are rising next to his boundary wall.
“It’s towering over my home,” he said, adding that he feels the impact on residents in Castle Manor has not been fully considered.
“I am thinking about selling my house, to be honest, and I really don’t want to. I’ve lived here for nearly thirteen years and I really love it. But I feel I have no other option, I can’t live beside this.”
Bakery View is Louth County Council’s Accelerated Delivery Programme social housing development which neighbours Castle Manor. The 97-unit scheme includes a mix of two, three and four-bedroom houses and bungalows.
“I would have had no objection to a reasonable development of new houses, but this is not reasonable. We can’t step outside our homes now without being met by the sight of this new estate which is metres away.”
This photo from a resident at Castle Manor in Drogheda captures how close the council’s new Bakery View estate is to their homes
“I don’t know how these houses got the go ahead, they are just too close to Castle Manor. It is really intrusive,” said Kieran.
He reached out to other residents in the estate, and says he was “shocked” to discover “just how close these new houses are to people’s back gardens.”
“There is absolutely no privacy left. I have tried contacting the council, just to get someone to come out here and look at what we are facing, but I’m not getting anywhere.”
Kieran explained that residents had hoped a boundary wall would be built where Bakery View is adjacent to Castle Manor. He added that a wall is being added along the other side of the development close to the Twenties.
The new houses at Bakery View pictured just behind this garden at Castle Manor
A number of Castle Manor residents have also been raising concerns about cracks appearing in walls on their properties since construction at the new site began, an issue which was raised at the latest meeting of Drogheda Borough District.
Mayor Michelle Hall told the meeting that residents are “very concerned about some of the surface cracks” and highlighted the “genuine stress” felt by people living there.
Cllr. Pio Smith said the issue had become a “long-standing saga” in Castle Manor and that uncertainty remained over what responsibility, if any, the local authority held.
He said residents had “genuine concerns” and the communication with them on these issues “leaves a lot to be desired.”
The meeting heard from a council spokesman that they had received complaints from Castle Manor residents about cracks appearing on their properties, and that those concerns had been referred to both the project design team and the contractor. The local authority was awaiting a response before any decision is taken on how to respond.
Louth County Council have issued a response to resident’s concerns on the proximity of the new estate to homes in Castle Manor.
A spokesperson said: “The location of the Bakery View development complies with all relevant planning requirements and regulations including minimum separation distances between units. The development is fully in accordance with the County Louth Development Plan.
“An existing masonry boundary wall separates the Castle Manor estate from the Bakery View development. This wall has been inspected and deemed suitable to be retained and utilised as the boundary treatment. Where any sections of the wall require repair or replacement works, this will be carried out subject to agreement with the relevant landowners.”