'Banks playing charades with people' in relation to unfinished housing estates, claims councillor

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‘Banks playing charades with people’ in relation to unfinished housing estates, claims councillor

The reluctance of the banks to play ball and allow unfinished estates to move to completion, was frustrating and a “charade” being played on people, the recent Fermoy electoral area meeting heard.

Thursday, 27 February 2014
8:20 PM GMT



"Banks are playing charades with people." So said Councillor Kevin O'Keeffe at last week's meeting of the Fermoy Electoral Area Committee, while discussing the taking-in-charge by Cork County Council of the Ard na Greine estate in Mitchelstown.

Cllr. Frank O'Flynn had sought an up to date report on when the estate will be taken in charge, but was told there was no report in from the county council's estates' manager, John Aherne.

Area engineer, Brendan O'Gorman told members the developer was gone there, so it was the bank that had to be dealt with.

"That's the problem. It's the same with Crann Ard," Cllr. O'Keeffe pointed out, adding the charades remark. "This developer has a plan for the estate. He wants to finish it. He can't because of the bank. He wants to sell the rest of the houses there. He can't."

Cllr. O'Flynn asked if the bond couldn't be drawn down to allow the outstanding work to be done. "You've heard how hard it is," the engineer responded. Cllr. O'Keeffe said it is a problem all over north Cork. "Banks are not taking their responsibility seriously. They are causing great difficulty," Cllr. Noel McCarthy said.

LIGHTING ISSUE

Cllr. O'Flynn also asked that the street lighting there be investigated and rectified in the interest of safety of residents. Only two street lights are working, he explained. He was told it is the responsibility of the developer to maintain the public lighting in good working order until the estate is taken in charge and to ensure that the public lighting is up to standard and working properly in advance of being taken in charge.

Cllr. O'Flynn's query to the engineer asking if residents would be allowed to replace the bulbs there themselves was greeted with an emphatic "no" by the engineer. Not to be deterred, Cllr. O'Flynn quipped: "I'll even put up the lights myself if you get the bulbs."



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