'Forgotten' Laois estate needs urgent work

A FORGOTTEN housing estate may receive a much-needed upgrade, following an urgent appeal at a council meeting.

Father O’Connor Crescent in Mountrath could be in line for a range of improvements, including footpath and road repairs, landscaping and lighting, if Laois County Council agrees to prioritise the project.

Elderly people cannot park outside their homes, footpaths are in dire need of repair and some roads are regularly flooded in the council estate, where the first homes were built in the early 1960s.

Cllr James Kelly highlighted a series of problems in the estate, at a meeting of Borris-in-Ossory/Mountmellick Municipal District.

He said: “It is well looked after by residents. There is a great residents’ association there and they take great pride in their estate, but I feel it is forgotten about by the council.” 

Cllr Kelly proposed that Father O’Connor Crescent be prioritised for “the reinstatement and repairs of roads, footpaths, landscaped areas and public lighting, as a matter of urgency”.

Outlining some of the issues, he said that footpaths are almost 18 inches high at one end of the estate and many are “in dire need of repair and replacement”.

He explained that the height of the footpaths means that some people cannot get out of cars outside their homes. They have to park further up and walk 60 or 70 metres back to their houses, which is particularly difficult for elderly residents.

Cllr Kelly also highlighted surface water problems in the estate, saying: “Water is lying on the roads. You're driving into the estate and it's like driving through a flooded area in certain parts.” 

He suggested that roads in the estate could be widened by using some of the large green area, while there was also a desperate need for more street lights.

He said: “There are a lot of elderly people living in the estate now. Refuse trucks can't even get around there. Cars can't park outside the houses and are driving up onto one area of the green.

“We have to get this sorted. I hope we can prioritise Father O’Connor Crescent and get a load of works done there this year.” 

Senior engineer Rory O’Callaghan confirmed that district office staff would meet residents and Cllr Kelly on-site “to assess the issues raised”.