Cork City social housing: Little ‘art’ left in Noonan’s Rd flats riddled with mould and rodents

A tenant pointing out the mould and water damage from leaks in the bathroom in a flat at Noonan's Rd, to councillor Mick Finn (right) and community activist William O'Brien in 2023. File picture: Denis Minihane

Perhaps the flats on Noonan’s Rd really were state of the art in the 1960s, as one council official told reporters in July 2023, on a night the council visited them.

However, if they were, there is little art left in their state six decades on, with the brutalist concrete structures crumbling, and their boxy flats riddled with mould, damp, and rodent infestations.

Three years after that visit, the night the then council chief executive Ann Doherty controversially said “arses need kicking” over the state of the flats, blocks two and four are set to be demolished, with one and three scheduled to follow.

Ms Doherty’s visit had come following a campaign by residents, working with housing advocate William O’Brien. Ten days after that visit, details were published from a leaked December 2022 draft Cork City Council report which identified “major structural defects” in the Noonan’s Rd and St Finbarr’s Rd flats.

That report cited hollowed-out, loosened walls, and loosened roofs. The report strongly recommended the complete demolition of the buildings.

Just over two months after the visit, after the chief executive apologised for the “shocking” living conditions in the area, the council announced that it favoured demolition of the O’Byrne flats on Noonan’s Rd, St Finbarr’s Rd, Fort St, and Dean St. “This would require, on a phased basis, the temporary relocation of all residents, with an option to return to the redeveloped new homes in due course, or, if they so wish, remain living at their relocated home,” the council said.

However, while the 84 flats at Noonan’s Rd and the neighbouring St Finbarr’s Rd are now almost completely emptied, last December the council rowed back on plans to demolish the 30 on Fort St and Dean St. Despite those flats having the same problems with mould, damp, and rats as the flats on Noonan’s Rd and St Finbarr’s Rd, the council said that, given the scale of the housing crisis, it was “seeking to continue full occupancy at the Fort St and Dean St complexes, where possible”.

The three-storey, maisonette-style flat is instantly recognisable across the city, and is replicated in places such as Clashduv Rd, Togher Rd, Sycamore Place, Cherry Tree Rd, Sycamore Place, Maple Place, Baker’s Rd, Cattlemarket Avenue, and Mount Farran.

The flats were introduced in the 1960s by the then city architect Eamon O’Byrne and were built by Cork Corporation to have a 50-year lifespan.

They all are now, according to tenants, prone to varying degrees of issues with cold, damp, black mould, and vermin.

Last December, reporters surveyed Cork City Council tenants living in the 160 O’Byrne flats across the city, receiving responses from 59% of tenants.

Persistent issues with rats and mice were cited by 65% of respondents, or 39% of all tenants.

According to Cork City Council’s tenants’ handbook, tenants are responsible for dealing with rodent infestations in their homes.

However, several tenants said that the rats and mice were running through the connected ceilings and walls and were coming in from neighbouring, overgrown, and litter-strewn gardens.

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More than half of all tenants, or 85% of respondents, reported having trouble heating their home, with 44% of respondents spending up to €50 per week on heating, and 38% spending between €50 and €100.

A further 7% said they were spending more than €100 a week on heating.

More than half of all tenants, or 93% of respondents, said their homes had draughty or poorly fitted windows or doors, while 92% of respondents said their homes were cold and damp, with condensation an issue.

Just over half of all tenants, or 85% of respondents, said black mould was a recurring issue.

Health problems caused or exacerbated by poor living conditions were cited by 72% of respondents, or 43% of all tenants.

A total of 82% of respondents, or just short of half of all tenants, said that they had made complaints to Cork City Council and expressed extreme dissatisfaction with the response.

A single respondent said they had contacted the council about an issue and were satisfied with the response they had received.

• This special report was funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.