The housing estates the Council ‘forgot’

These are the city housing estates that time – and Galway City Council – forgot.

Aughnacurra in Dangan and Mount Pleasant Drive, Shantalla are among the city estates that have been waiting several decades to be ‘taken in charge’ by the local authority.

Residents in Mount Pleasant Drive applied in the 1970s to have the estate ‘taken in charge’ by Galway City Council – almost 40 years after it was granted planning permission and it hasn’t been fulfilled.

A Council report into applications for taking in charge estates mentions Mount Pleasant Drive’s status as: “Works to be completed by Galway City Council when funding becomes available and TIC (taking in charge) process to commence.”

Meanwhile, Aughnacurra, granted planning permission in 1982, is still waiting to be taken in charge. Its status is listed as: “Wayleave to surface water sewer. Issue remains outstanding.”

Director of Services for Transportation, Joe O’Neill agreed with city councillors that it was “crazy” some city estates have been waiting decades to be taken in charge.

Mr O’Neill said his department would carry out a more detailed report as to why the estates haven’t yet been taken in charge and would revert back to elected members.

In relation to more recent city estates whose applications to be taken in charge remain outstanding, he said that when taking in charge legislation was enacted, it “wasn’t foreseen” that developers would go out of business like they did when the building boom when bust.

There are a number of ‘legacy’ issues in estates from that period that haven’t been addressed and must be addressed before the Council can take them over, he said.

In most of the 16 estates that haven’t been taken over, the Council is awaiting the developer to finish a ‘snag list’.

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