Councillors claim Wexford County Council has paid ‘over the odds’ for new housing estate beset with problems
Wexford PeopleA New Ross councillor has offered to pay for a Specsavers appointment for anyone who can’t see the range of problems at a housing estate in the town. Residents in Ard na Bhile, which was purchased by Wexford County Council (WCC) from a developer, are contending with plumbing issues, a lack of green space, and dangerous waste facilities according to councillors in the New Ross district.
Speaking at the July meeting of the New Ross Municipal District (NRMD) Councillor Michael Sheehan said the council had paid “over the odds” for this relatively new housing development.
“The tenant liaison officer needs to take a look at phase one and see if there are any issues there, then have a look at phase two and do the same,” he said. “Phase one is less than three years old, but you’d never know from walking around it. If the tenant liaison officer takes a look around and doesn’t find a problem, I’ll personally pay for their appointment with Specsavers.”
He was supported by cathaoirleach of the NRMD, Cllr John Dwyer who said the lack of a play area for children was causing them to find their enjoyment in potentially dangerous settings.
“I’ve been discussing issues with the tenant liaison officer but they’re not being addressed,” he said. “The timber wheelie bin covers were placed down an alleyway – I have footage on my phone of young lads and young wans no more than ten years old jumping from one to the other. There’s a five-foot drop onto concrete from those covers, there’s potential for serious injury. I was assured six weeks ago that this was going to be addressed.
"The lack of a play area for the children down there is a matter of concern, we need to find it in our budget to come up with a play area for them.”
Housing officer Martina Donohue said “teething issues” were par for the course for any new estate but that, in some instances, the builder may be required to return and “resolve them”.
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“It was my understanding the builder had gone back to those but if I’m wrong then I need to know which units need to be addressed,” she said. “I can look at the wheelie bin issue, but I’m just not convinced this is an issue for the liaison officer. I would need to talk to the technical people to see what is the best solution.
"With regards to the play area, again I don’t know what the planning legislation is but a play area should have been incorporated into the design and planning stage.”
“That estate has no space for any play area,” replied Cllr Sheehan. “The layout of the estate won’t facilitate it. This is a design flaw which should have been spotted.”