Emotional departure for last family on redevelopment estate

The last family remaining in a housing estate earmarked for redevelopment have won their battle with Cork City Council over the terms of their move, and have handed over their keys amid emotional scenes.

The Carey family, led by pensioners Imelda and Frank, had lived in their terraced house on Ardmore Avenue in Knocknaheeny for over 40 years and owned the property for 35 years.

They raised eight children there but in 2011 Cork City Council told residents that it planned to knock all the houses in the estate as part of the multimillion-euro Cork City Northwest Regeneration Project.

All the other residents relocated, but while the local authority offered the Careys replacement homes in nearby areas such as Shanakiel, Frank, 70, and Imelda, 66, said none suited their needs.

The family also knocked back an offer of €85,000 for their home, which the council said was the market value.

Now it has emerged that the family agreed to leave the house after getting what Declan Carey, one of Frank and Imelda’s children, described as “a substantial increase on the original offer” from the council.

It ends what had become an ordeal for the family in recent months as neighbouring properties, vacated ahead of the regeneration project, were the setting for anti-social behaviour by local gangs and late-night drink and drug use. The family said they were living in fear, with the fire brigade called to at least two fires in nearby boarded-up houses.

Declan, 25, who lived in the house with his parents, said they finally left their home on Thursday and were staying with other family members ahead of a possible move to a new property nearby.

“They caved in two weeks ago,” he said of the council’s offer. “They made a substantial increase on the original offer and it was too good to refuse.”

It has meant the Careys lodging a bid, which has been accepted, on a different property on the city’s northside, although the sale has yet to go through.

“We had a house in mind all along but we didn’t have the money,” said Declan.