Cork City halting site among worst living conditions in the country, says minister

The residents of Spring Lane halting site are "sick of promises", the minister said after visiting the area.

Minister for rural and community development Joe O'Brien and coordinator of Cork Traveller Women's Network Bridget Carmody during the minister's visitto Spring Lane Halting Site in Blackpool. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

“Some of the most marginalised and unacceptable living conditions anywhere in the country,” is how the rural and community development minister has described a beleaguered halting site in Cork City.

Joe O’Brien was visiting Spring Lane halting site on the northside of the city to see the reality for himself and to listen to residents’ concerns.

Spring Lane was the subject of a recent Ombudsman for Children’s Office (OCO) report which found children living in filthy, overcrowded, rat-infested, and unsafe conditions where raw sewage was visible.

The Spring Lane site, Blackpool, Cork City. Picture: Larry Cummins

It found that Cork City Council both failed to consider the best interests of children and failed to maintain the site.

However, only two of 20 offers of housing made to Spring Lane residents by Cork City Council between May 2020 and May 2021 were accepted.

“It was important for me to see it and to say to people as well that they’re not being forgotten about, they’re not being ignored,” said Mr O'Brien.

“It struck me that they’re good people, they’re nice people. I was welcomed.

If I was in their situation, I would be equally frustrated, I would be equally tired of their conditions not improving in any significant way for too many years now.

“I think they’re sick of promises.”

Mr O'Brien said he intends to “add a bit of pressure to get things moving as quickly as possible” to improve situations at the halting site.

He said that Cork City Council has begun work on the issue, and the Ombudsman's report laid out a timeline for improvements coming in the third quarter of this year.

"Now that I’ve been here and I’ve met the people, I’ll be keeping an eye on how things are progressing," he said.

We all know what needs to happen, but the implementation of it hasn’t been as swift as it should be."

He said that “some consideration” was being given to using Ellis’ Yard, a large concrete-covered area owned by the council immediately adjacent to the site where ponies already roam and eat the grass verges.

However, responsibility for planning rests with the council, he said.

Joe O'Brien, on his visit to Spring Lane Halting Site. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

“I think a lot of this rests with the local authority as well,” he said. “We’ve been in touch with the local authority here, Cork City Council, and I’ll be checking in with them after this.

“It’s our responsibility in national Government to make sure that the local authority is resourced."

He agreed that local authorities' failure across the country to draw down some €72m allocated for Traveller accommodation between 2008 and 2019 was an issue that both he and his colleague, local government and planning minister Peter Burke were aware of.  

"Minister Burke is eager to see that money drawn down, he is eager to see the resources we’re putting into it as a State being used," he said. 

It's not like there isn’t a need there. The need is clearly there."

Mr O'Brien also visited Cork Volunteer Centre which has been instrumental in helping many people across the city and country survive the pandemic, organising services like CritiCall.

"It's very important that we acknowledge volunteer work, especially volunteer work on this scale, volunteer work over Covid, volunteer work that's reached people who would otherwise not have been reached and connected in with services," he said. 

"This is about a big thank you to Cork Volunteer Centre and all the people involved in it."