Local Authorities
Seanad Éireann — 2026-03-19
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Nicole Ryan (SF), Administrative Panel

By 2007, the developer had gone bust and therefore, Cork County Council submitted an appeal to take charge of the estate. It has been almost ten years and it still has not taken charge of the estate. It sits in no man's land. The estate has not been maintained. No proper maintenance at all is happening. It is up to a residents' association to do that work, which is ad hoc because it is not solidified. I have been in the estate. The footpaths are broken, overgrowth is everywhere, there are potholes and there is no adequate signage to state that children are playing. It is a large estate with families. People bought houses and there are also some social houses in the area.
This is not the fault of Cork County Council because I have worked with it and it has been forthcoming about the situation. The problem is that it does not have funding. This is not just happening in my area; it is also happening in other places where estates are not being taken in charge and, therefore, residents do not know who to call if something happens. They are left alone. Tanyard Wood is unique because nobody has taken charge of the estate for ten years. As I said, local authorities are doing their best, but the reality is they do not have the funding, staffing or resources to progress these estates. We are asking councils to do snag lists and surveys. Uisce Éireann will take charge of part of the works, but in the interim between now and when the council takes charge, who will take care of the maintenance? What happens if somebody falls? Who will take care of that?
The residents are not asking for much. People bought their houses and expect to live in a place where the bare minimum has been done. We need clear timelines. Interim measures are required to ensure residents are not left feeling unsafe or conditions are allowed to deteriorate while progress drags on. People bought homes in the area in good faith. They did not sign up to live in an estate with broken infrastructure, unclear lines of responsibility and ongoing safety risks. The ask today is simple. I ask the Minister of State to outline the additional funding and supports that will be provided to local authorities like Cork County Council to accelerate the taking in charge process. What measures can be put in place to ensure that estates like Tanyard Wood are not left waiting years for a resolution?
At the heart of this are families, communities and people who want to live well and have nice homes and a nice area. That is not too much to ask. They have waited almost ten years at this point. It is reaching a point where the estate is becoming dangerous. Something has to be done about it.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-03-19/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:45+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-19