Local councillor says she been living on a building site for past 19-years
The developers design photo of Clonrooske Abbey in Porelaoise
CLLR Caroline Dwane Stanley told her follow councillors at the January meeting of Laois County Council that she has been “living on a building site for 19-years.”
Not for the first time has the now Independent councillor complained about the unfinished state of the Clonrooske Abbey housing estate in Portlaoise.
She said the council received 36 properties back from the development in that area, which she said “were at least two and a half years over their time.”
“But, there’s still problems going on in that estate. There’s 14 public lights out in the estate. There’s one public light where the head on top of it is hanging down. I don’t know how it didn’t fall down during the storm. It’s just hanging on. If that falls on somebody’s head they would be seriously injured. There’s trees in the estate completely overgrown and the lights that are working are covered by the leaves. The estate is in black darkness.
“I reckon that there’s a problem with the electrics in the area because no matter when they go in to fix the lights, two or three weeks after, they’re gone again. There needs to be a permanent solution to that problem.”
She said: “We also have the same builder who is applying for planning permission on the two vacant sites there as well. While we’re happy that that’s happening, but I can’t understand how, or get my head around, how any builder is handed continuing planning permission when they’re not living up to their responsibilities in the estate.”
She also claimed: “There’s sections of footpath that have sunk, roots of the trees have come up and are trip hazards. It’s almost as if this builder has exonerated himself from his responsibilities in that estate, apart from building houses.”
She said: “I think the (council’s) building controls officer and the planning department need to take a very firm hand with this. I’m living on a building site for 19-years, and I’m only there 19-years. The estate was built three years before I moved into it. It high time that the estate was finished.”
