Residents lay down the law to students

Residents living near NUI Galway ‘laid down the law’ to students this week about the problem of anti-social behaviour in housing estates.

A delegation of representatives of five housing estates in the Newcastle area met with NUIG Students’ Union representatives about ways in which anti-social behaviour by some students can be stamped out.

Alcohol-fuelled late night parties that generates a noise nuisance as well as litter in estates were among the items discussed.

The meeting, led by Labour Party city councillor Billy Cameron, coincides with the return of students to the university for the beginning of the new academic year.

Representatives of Greenfields, Fairlands Park, Hazel Park, Cherry Park and Carraig Liath met with SU president Seán Kearns and his vice-president and Welfare Officer, Declan Higgins.

Cllr Cameron said that meetings such as this, which is now an annual fixture, have contributed to a reduction in anti-social behaviour, particularly in the past few years.

All sides are hopeful that the relative harmony that exists now between residents and students – compared with a couple of years ago when tensions were running high and anti-social behaviour was widespread – can continue into this new college year.

There will be an influx of a new batch of First Years in the coming weeks, the vast majority of them teenagers living away from home for the first time, and the meeting was to remind the student representatives that anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated.

The main gripe of non-student, permanent residents in the area is late-night parties and noise nuisance associated with parties and excessive alcohol drinking.

 Cllr Cameron said meetings in previous years had been “tense and tetchy” but this week the atmosphere was more sedate as residents’ fears were taken on board by the Students’ Union.

“I have to stress that it is just a small minority of the 17,000 students of NUI Galway who cause problems for residents.”

F or more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.