Houses levelled as part of regeneration plans

DEMOLITION of houses in one of Limerick’s most notorious crime black spots got under way yesterday.

Ten houses in Pineview Gardens were levelled as part of the North Side Regeneration Programme.

It was the single biggest demolition operation carried out to date under the plan to change the face of Moyross and Southill. To date 20 other houses in different parts of Moyross have been knocked down.

The master plan for the area which is presently being discussed with residents provides for a complete transformation of Moyross.

One concept under consideration is that all 1,200 houses in Moyross be knocked down and clusters of smaller developments built over a wider area.

The 10 houses knocked down yesterday were located directly across the road from the home of Sheila Murray whose children, Gavin and Millie, were badly burned in a petrol bomb attack on September 10, 2006.

The attack was carried out in another part of Pineview Gardens.

The area has been the scene of many notorious crimes including the murder of McCarthy Dundon gang member, ‘Fat Frankie’ Ryan, on the night of September 13, 2006. Ms Murray refused to return to her home in Pineview Gardens after the attack on her children for which three men were recently jailed at Limerick Circuit Court.

She was subsequently rehoused in another house on the outskirts of the city.

Pineview Gardens has seen some of the worst feud gang violence in the city.

Numerous houses there have been targeted in gun attacks and many others have been badly damaged in arson attacks.

In another move as part of the regeneration programme, former Limerick hurling manager, Tom Ryan, will next Saturday commence a hurling training camp for children in Moyross.

And over next weekend a huge mobile cinema will give six showings of films aimed at the under-12 age group.

Former Dublin city manager, John Fitzgerald, was asked by the Government to oversee the drawing up of huge regeneration plans for Moyross and Southill.

Two agencies have been put in place to manage this programme to which the Government has given its full backing.

Another former Dublin city official, Brendan Kenny, has been given charge of the day-to-day running of the regeneration programme.