TheJournal.ie
14/11/2013
‘Irredeemable neighbourhood’ now an
example of regeneration
Thirty-seven new homes on St
Michael’s Road in Longford Town were opened today.
A MAJOR REGENERATION project in
Longford has been hailed as a shining example of how housing authorities should
work with not-for-profit organisations.
Housing and Planning Minister Jan
O’Sullivan visited St Michael’s Road in the town this afternoon to officially
open 37 new homes in the recently revamped area.
Before Longford County Council and
Clúid Housing Association stepped in, 70 per cent of the properties on the road
were boarded up or derelict and many older residents lived in tiny, damp
houses.
Others told of sleeping in their
living rooms because of dangerous stairs.
During the renovations, some units
were amalgamated, turning 58 very small two-bedroom houses into 37 refurbished
dwellings.
Houses are now heated using
gas-fired condenser boilers and solid fuel stoves. High levels of insulation
were also introduced, giving the units good energy ratings.
Illegal dumping became a major
issue as litter piled up to the second floor windows outside a number of
properties.
The surrounding lanes also brought
problems as they became breeding grounds for anti-social behaviour and
drug-dealing. Residents also became detached from surrounding communities
because the only access points to neighbouring estates were these dark, unsafe
alleyways.
During the works, the laneways were
cleared and minimised and a new connection road was built in the heart of the
area.
A neigbourhood once described as
“irredeemable” has been transformed and the public-nonprofit partnership
responsible praised as “an exemplar to many other housing associations and
local authorities across the country”.
O’Sullivan noted that the
not-for-profit Clúid Housing Association had created a sustainable community
thanks to its understanding of marginalised communities and the need for a
social element of regeneration.
According to the Labour TD, the
community is now socially, environmentally, physically and financially secure.
The organisation is keen to work
with other local authorities to “bring the irredeemable back to life”, says
manager Fiona Cormican, who believes there are about 22 estates in dire need of
regeneration across the country.
Sinn Féin Mountmellick – Serving The Community
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