Kerry County Council urged to take charge of estates six years after residents first moved in

By Alastair Tibbs, The Kerryman

A Kerry councillor has urged the council to take over two estates from a developer as six years have passed since residents first moved in.

Councillor Tommy Griffin said locals in Milltown’s Steeple Meadows and Ath Solas estates have been waiting “too long” for Irish Water and Kerry County Council to take charge of the development’s services.

He said residents were still paying management fees to the developer which would likely be decreased if the council took over.

“It’s just too long, six years for a taking in charge application,” said Cllr Griffin, “and Irish Water and Kerry County Council have yet to have their first meeting about the site resolution plan.”

“There’s something wrong somewhere if it takes six years to have a meeting.”

Cllr Griffin also highlighted it’s generally harder to sell property when the local services are still owned by the housing developer. This can be due to more reluctant mortgage lenders, legal delays from more complex documents and the increased maintenance fees.

Despite these cases, Cllr Griffin has a generally positive view of Irish Water’s impact in Milltown and surrounding areas.

The €6m upgrade of Castlemaine sewage scheme provided a major boost to housing in the area, while a replaced pipe network in Inch and Booteens alleviated the frequent bursting of pipes in the area.

“When they actually do it, they deliver it,” said Cllr Griffin, “the day-to-day stuff, water connections and sewer connections can be a bit frustrating with the lack of accountability…it’s hard to get answers and they’re putting big costs on certain projects.”