Community group resigns from Limerick project

One of the largest communities involved in the Limerick regeneration project — which has had €100m spent on it to date — has pulled out of the process.

The St Mary’s Park Community Group has resigned en masse in a row with Limerick City Council over the direction of the project. The nine-person steering group said it has no confidence in the current process, as their concerns are being ignored by council officials.

The group, which represents hundreds of householders, believe the project has gone backwards since the local authority took over running the scheme more than a year ago.

Initially, it was planned to demolish more than 248 homes and rebuild properties. However, because of the economic downturn, it is now planned to refurbish the homes, which angered many living in the estate.

Carmel Duggan, secretary of the group, said all faith in the plan was gone.

“Our belief in the regeneration and Limerick City Council is gone. Our faith is gone,” said Ms Duggan. “People approach us because we’re the link in our community to regeneration.”

She said the community felt “let down” by the leaders of the project.

“People feel we’re letting them down, but they don’t realise that we are bringing the issues to the table,” she said. “But we’re not being listened to.

“We feel we’re letting our community down because they are being neglected, and we feel we are letting our community down by letting this happen.”

Former Limerick mayor John Gilligan backed the group’s stance. The independent city councillor said he shared the frustration felt by many in the estate, which, he added, was not fit to live in five years after a promised facelift.

Mr Gilligan said he hoped to get answers from the director of Limerick Regeneration, Oliver O’Loughlin, at a meeting tomorrow in the local community centre.

“We are going to get answers,” he said “We are going to have to know what’s going to happen, but more importantly, when it is going to happen. We can’t let this drag on and on.”

Mr O’Loughlin, director of services at Limerick City Council, said in a statement: “The office of regeneration acknowledges the work and commitment of the community and the regeneration agency in the five years leading up to Jun 2012.

“The original masterplans from 2008 and associated subsequent documents acknowledged the proposals to demolish St Mary’s Park in its entirety, but the office of regeneration and indeed, the regeneration committees have also acknowledged and accept the pressures both the public purse and the housing market are under.”

He said the agency had received exactly 100 submissions from the community of St Mary’s Park, which the office is “presently considering in drafting the forthcoming Framework Implementation Plans.”

These plans are due to be launched in the coming weeks. Some €3m has also been approved for social facilities in the estate.

Mr O’Loughlin said the regeneration office “has always been and remains open to engage with residents”.