Tipperary housing estate residents face long wait

Fears have emerged that numerous private housing estates in North Tipperary could take years to be taken in charge by the local authority due to problems at Irish Water.

Irish Water now has responsibility for vetting waste and sewage schemes, but councillors have expressed little faith in the ability of the company to deal swiftly with infrastructural problems in such estates.

The vast majority of estates waiting to be taken in charge were built in the boom years, but responsibility for  the maintenance these residential areas has not been taken over by Tipperary County Council pending the completion of on-site infrastructural problems.

And while the council says it is doing all it can to take over unfinished estates, it stressed it cannot do so in many cases until Irish Water vets such sites and tackles any instances where water and sewage problems exist.

The problem has been highlighted by Fianna Fáil councillor Seamus Hanafin who said  there were large numbers of completed estates in his area of Thurles that had not yet been taken in charge by the council, some of which had been built for up to fifteen years.

While urging that the council press ahead with tackling works such as lighting, roads and footpaths in these estates, he sounded a pessimistic note about the ability of Irish Water to swiftly tackle sewage and water works.

'We have to get these estates taken in charge without any further delay; we cannot be a hostage to Irish Water,' he declared.

Brian Beck, senior planning officer for the council, said residents groups in a large number of estates across Tipperary had applied to the local authority to have their estates taken in charge.

While the council was doing all it could to progress the issue, it could not ignore problems relating to underground water and sewage pipes. 'If we take estates in charge without understanding what problems may be underground then roads would have to be dug up again at significant costs to the council. Irish Water is a player in this,' said Mr Beck.

See full report in this week's issue of The Guardian.