There are no “ghost” housing estates in Co Waterford, Director of Services Brian White insisted at this month’s meeting of Waterford Co Council.
However, there are 12 unfinished housing estates which had some way to go to completion. The vast majority of developers were still “interested” in their projects and hoped to trade out of difficulties, he said, adding that the county has nothing like the extent of unfinished estates that exists nationally.
Knockanore-based Cllr James Tobin (FF) asked what would happen to unfinished estates where planning permission had been granted for temporary sewerage treatment plans.
Mr White said there was difficulty for residents in such a situation. It was still the responsibility of the developer and the collective house-owners until the Council took the estate in-charge. The Council had no responsibility apart from seeing that the estate was completed in accordance with planning permission. There were some serious scenarios out there, he admitted.
Cllr Tobin pointed out that the Council had purchased two to three houses on estates where three was a temporary treatment plant and the houses were occupied by local authority tenants.
In reply, Mr White said there was no previous history of going down this road. The Council would be responsible for part of the solution to the problem, but not the entire crux of it, and unless an estate was taken in-charge the local authority had no responsibility for the infrastructure on these unfinished estates.
