Two-year-old houses deemed ‘a disgrace’

October 2008

THE two-year old Hillview Housing Scheme has been deemed a ‘disgrace’ as Wicklow Town Council continues to deal with major problems affecting at least 10 per cent of the houses.

Some of the houses are so damp that people’s clothes are turning green with mould.

The council scheme was officially launched in December of 2006 and was meant to accommodate 175.

However, continuous problems with some of the houses, including leaking roofs and damp, mean that many families dreams of moving into a new home have been left shattered. Maintenance works have been ongoing since day one and there still isn’t a sign of any let-up. Some people have had to be move out while repairs get underway,

Town Manager Michael Nicholson admitted that there had been problems right from the start. ‘For a start there was a huge delay before the scheme was completed.

‘We did spot checks using our own men and had to get some fireplaces redone early on.’

Now roofs belonging to some of the premises have had to be taken down because of leaks, as Cllr. Conal Kavanagh labelled the contractor Noel Regan and Sons as ‘obviously incompetent.’

The project ended up two years behind schedule and the council did receive compensation for each week the scheme’s completion was delayed.

The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government approved the Noel Regan and Sons tender because everything seemed in order and it was regarded as the cheapest offer.

The council will continue to monitor any ongoing problems taking place in the estate and will continue to liaise with residents living in Hillview.