It is indeed good news that the Government is making an effort at solving the problems of some of the ghost estates that are scattered around the country.

I live in Ard na Greine, Mitchelstown. It is a pleasant place to live, however it is the only ghost estate in Mitchelstown, at least it was designated a ghost estate until the property charge came in. Planning permission was granted at the time for 44 houses, currently 15 are occupied, 15 are built with roofs on but the services and the road are not in place and the rest have either bases or have not been started.

Can I urge you our local representatives to put pressure whereever you can to endeavour to at least have the 15 houses in our estate completed and occupied? My understanding is that there is a huge need for rented accommodation in Mitchelstown and I am certain that if these houses were completed, they would either sell or at least obtain decent rental incomes for investors.

While we have services at Ard na Greine and the builder did come back during the summer months to landscape some public areas and grass these areas which has made a difference. We still need lighting as currently we have only 3 lights working and this is not good enough, while the County Council claim that they can not do anything until works have been completed,

May I ask you therefore to do your level best to endeavour to get funds assigned to our estate and have it finished. Make Ard na Gréine a more attractive place to live, we have to pay our property tax (LPT) and are doing so, so please finish our estate, give us lighting and make the approach to Mitchelstown from the Glanworth side more attractive

Thank you,

Ian Malcolm,

Ard na Gréine,

Mitchelstown,

Co Cork.