Issues at Leitrim estate may be beyond 'financial capabilities' of council to fix

Ongoing subsidence and sewage issues at a Keshcarrigan estate may be beyond the financial capabilities of Leitrim Co Council to resolve, a council meeting has heard. 

The ongoing issues of subsidence at the An Gairdín estate in Keshcarrigan were discussed at this week's meeting of Ballinamore Municipal District.

Built in 2004 during the Celtic Tiger boom, the 16-home development was constructed on land residents previously described as “bog”. The land had been rejected for development on three previous occasions. 

Cllr Enda McGloin (FG) brought the attention of the meeting to a piece that had featured on Morning Ireland on Monday morning of this week in relation to the issues that residents are still having.

“Perhaps there can be some discussion about the estate at our next MD meeting with feedback from the relevant sections of the council,” he stated.

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Cllr Brendan Barry (SF) told the meeting that, “It was up to the council to decide if they want to take the estate in charge.”

He went on to say that residents had been told, “it was up to them to get the pipe fixed” which was a source of problems at present.

The pipe is currently blocked, resulting in a build up of sewage which is being emptied on a weekly basis by a contractor employed by the council.

“How is it expected that residents would pay for the repairs to the pipe?” he asked the meeting.

Cllr Barry has himself helped to empty sewage from the estate.

“The residents were previously told that they would have to pay costs in relation to the sewage issue, because the estate has not been taken in charge by the council,” he told the Leitrim Observer.

“For environmental reasons, the council are now emptying the sewage on a weekly basis,” Cllr Barry added.

At the meeting, Cllr Barry made the suggestion that the council would “give money to the residents to help fix the pipe.”

“It is already costing the taxpayer to get the sewage emptied every week,” he told the Observer.

At the meeting, Cllr McGloin said that “if Leitrim County Council start doing the necessary repairs, then Government departments might not get involved in the repairs and would expect the council to finish the work.”

“This estate is beyond being unfinished and it may be beyond the financial capabilities of Leitrim County Council to deal with it,” he added.

David Minton, Director of Services, told the meeting that it was intended that the council would receive updates from some of the agencies involved, so that “members can understand the complexities involved.”

* Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting scheme