The sixty million euro Knocknaheeny Re-generation Plan was meant to provide a boost for one of the most neglected working class communities in Cork city.
However, Cork City Council’s bureaucratic handling of the plan and its reliance on private contractors has created a strong feeling of discontent which has surfaced at a number of recent community meetings.
Private contractors who refurbished houses as long ago as last January and February have still not dealt fully with snagging. People are facing into Christmas with holes in walls and ceilings and slabs missing from kitchen floors.
Moreover, the Council’s proposals for the regeneration’s next phase (blocks E,F,G,H) include proposals for infill housing and a through-road which are totally unacceptable to residents.
Fixing up and letting out vacant houses is the way to provide housing opportunities in Knocknaheeny - infill will only turn the area into a concrete jungle. The proposed through-road will endanger kids by potentially turning it into a race track for boy racers.
The plan must be amended to reflect residents’ wishes. A mass lobby of City Hall on the night the Council votes on the Plan should be seriously considered. Any party that fails to respect residents’ wishes in the vote should be made to pay a price in the upcoming general election.
