Residents of the Dun Eala estate in Fermoy have vowed to fight on to have their estate taken in charge by Cork County Council.

They believe that a planning retention issue in one part of the estate shouldn’t be allowed to hold up the completion of an outstanding snag list there which would allow the councl to take over the estate.

The county council says the planning matter must be sorted before an application can be made by the developer to take the estate in charge. Residents say it’s an entirely separate matter and one which should not be delaying the completion of works or the taking-in-charge process.

They met with Minister of State Sean Sherlock and Cllr Noel McCarthy on Thursday last to press their case. They say that meeting went well but their position hasn’t changed – if it isn’t sorted they’ll make it an election issue. They want the planning retention issue separated from the taking in charge matter but say if it isn’t, then progress can still be made by having the outstanding works done in all other parts of the estate except the crescent involved in the planning issue which could be taken in after it’s resolved.

Minister Sean Sherlock too said it had been a good meeting with residents. “They have a legitimate case to my mind. Myself and Cllr McCarthy gave them an undertaking that we would seek legal opinion regarding the separation of the two issues,” he explained.

Cllr Frank O’Flynn said he couldn’t see why the two matters couldn’t be separated. “There’s a €37,000 bond. If the work isn’t done by the developer it should be drawn down. It’s going on for far too long. The patience of residents is running out,” he said. He vowed to pursue the residents’ ‘very reasonable request’.