Council may take additional estates under its control

A number of further estates could have their roads, footpaths, public lighting, water and sewerage taken in charge by Cork County Council this year.

For many years, people living in privately-built estates throughout the county waited in limbo for them to be “taken in charge” by the local authority. Then last year, it announced it would officially take 174 “under its wing.”

Now the council has revealed it is looking at taking more estates’ infrastructure under its control — which could be good news for hundreds if not thousands of householders.

In a reply to Cllr Seamus McGrath (FF), John O’Neill, the council’s director of planning services, said the local authority was “processing a number of further taking in charge applications.”

Mr O’Neill said the council was to liaise with Irish Water further with a view to pursuing this.

Until recently, the council would have had the power to take over the running of sewerage and water services in estates itself, but since last week, Irish Water is in control of all such facilities in the county.

Mr O’Neill said that subject to Irish Water approval, it could be possible to commence taking in charge a further batch of estates this spring.

The last time the council looked at taking over estates, it had a list of more than 300, but eventually chose to proceed with 174.

Mr McGrath said many estates were still in limbo with their developers having departed the scene, some going bust during the recession without finished off their infrastructure to a satisfactory level.

He said it was “time to keep up the momentum” and get the remaining estates which had applied for the local authority’s cover signed up.

Cllr Deirdre Forde (FG) said: “I welcome that we will have a full report on this (intentions to sign up estates) by the end of February or early March. Many of these unfinished estates have problems with their pumping stations (water and sewerage) which need to be addressed.”

Cllr Aindrias Moynihan (FF) said a lot of work had been done by now defunct town councils to bring estates in their former areas of control under charge and he said the county council, which now has responsibility, should move on these cases quickly.

Cllr Melissa Mullane (SF) said the council needed to get tough with financial institutions which were holding onto bonds (insurance policies) for developers who went bust.

“One particular bank is not great at handing back these bonds (which would be used to completed unfinished works),” she said.

Cllr Kevin O’Keeffe (FF) agreed with her that at least one financial institution “was not co-operating fully with us.”

Council chief executive Tim Lucey said he hoped that a new relationship being formed between the local authority and Irish Water would help pave the way for more estates being taken in charge by the council.