Moyross families get key to new lives

Christine Geoghegan turned the latch key on her new home in Moyross yesterday, opening a new life for her family and a social revival for the community.

Along with husband Damien, they were among 34 families who moved into a €4.6m development, the first homes completed by the troubled Limerick Regeneration project.

Another resident, Pamela Buckley, said the occasion was “like winning the Lotto”.

When the €3bn regeneration plan was launched in Oct 2008 for four troubled estates — Moyross, St Mary’s Park, Ballinacurra Weston, and Southill — it was envisaged that about 5,000 homes would be replaced over 10 years under a public/private partnership.

When the Irish Examiner revealed in Jan 2012 that not a single house had been built and only €116m spent, Phil Hogan, the environment minister, said it was a “scandal”. He said: “Commitments made to people haven’t been honoured, after they were promised the sun, the moon and the stars.”

In Feb 2010 the then defence minister, Limerick TD Willie O’Dea, confirmed the State could not afford the original budget and two months later a revised scheme costing the State €925m was unveiled. To-date the State has spent about €140m on the project.

However, yesterday, the Geoghegans and 33 other new tenant families were putting the past behind them.

Christine, 65, who reared eight children in Moyross, said: “The new homes are delivered at long last. It’s going to be a whole new life. We are starting the moving and if I could put all my furniture on my back right now I’d be settled in by this evening.”

The Geoghegans first moved into the Whitecross gardens estate in Moyross 32 years ago.

Their grand-daughter Lynda and their great-granddaughter Leah are moving into the new three-bedroom house with them.

Another resident, Pamela Buckley, along with her partner and their two children, also got the keys to a new home.

Pamela said: “It’s like winning the Lotto. We have been living in Pineview Gardens for the past 13 years and the house next door was all boarded up as all the windows had been broken in and this meant our house was always cold and impossible to heat.”

Moyross parish priest Fr Tony O’Riordan said yesterday’s handing over of new homes was “a step forward after 10 steps backwards”.

“This is a very positive day. Lets get on with the building of the community and keep a hand on the huge deprivation in Moyross. Over 1,200 people have moved out while houses were being demolished and that is a huge haemorrhage in any community.”

Housing Minister Jan O’Sullivan said the regeneration project was now firmly back on track and this year a further €30m will be allocated towards the building of up to 100 new homes in the regeneration areas.

“I won’t take my foot off the pedal on this. The handing over of the keys today is not just a pivotal moment for the residents, but for the entire regeneration project. As housing minister, the acceleration of the Limerick regeneration programme is a priority, not because it is in my constituency, but because the need for this investment has not in any way diminished over the past six years.”

Work on regeneration houses in Vizas Court and Carew Park, Southill, will be completed by the end of the year.