Population shift as regeneration plan altered

THE downsizing of the huge Limerick Regeneration plan for four run-down estates in the city has already led to a major population shift, locally.

Many residents have already relocated to private housing estates in counties Limerick and Clare.

Since the plan was announced in October 2007, about 200 families from Moyross, Southill, St Mary’s Park and Ballinacurra Weston have been rehoused as tenants in private estates.

Limerick City Council, Limerick County Council and Clare County Council received Government funding for rehousing.

The implementation of the 2009-2018 regeneration plan had an original price tag of €3 billion with investment of about €1.4bn to come from the private sector. But the collapse of the construction industry radically altered the original blueprint.

To date the Northside and Southside Regeneration Agencies have received a total of €24 million. Most of the funding, so far, has been spent on a wide range of community projects — but not a single house has been built in any of the four designated estates.

Much of the funds given to Limerick City Council have gone towards demolishing up to 600 derelict and abandoned houses in Moyross, Southill, St Mary’s Park and Ballinacurra Weston.

The only housing provided to date was in private estates. During 2009 and 2010, the housing section of the Department of the Environment allocated €41m to the three local authorities to acquire second-hand houses, for renting, in private estates for people wishing to relocate.

Brendan Kenny, head of the regeneration agency yesterday revealed up to 200 families have already moved to private estates.

Many elderly people, he said, relocated for a better quality of life, not wanting to wait for the regeneration housing programme to kick in.

He dismissed claims families who had been moved from the four regeneration areas had been the cause of increased anti-social behaviour in private estates in city suburbs along with towns and villages: “Any person wishing to move is heavily vetted by the local council and the Gardaí who must be satisfied that the applicants can and should be rehoused.”

The Northside Regeneration Agency — overseeing the Moyross and St Mary’s Park element — last week put out tenders for the first new regeneration housing development which will be built at Cliona Park, Moyross.

It will involve 13 two and three-bedroom houses, and 20 one-room apartments. The apartments will be allocated to elderly residents.

Building is expected to start in April and be completed by September 2012.

He said the development was hugely important to the regeneration programme: “We will now be moving from the destruction and demolition of houses to the construction of new houses... and we are likely to see more good families opting to stay in the regeneration areas rather than move out in order to seek a better quality of life.”

Mr Kenny said as the building programme picks up momentum, less money will be given to the councils to buy in private estates.