Charlestown estate set for major make-over

Charlestown estate set for major make-over


Anton McNulty

A HOUSING estate in Charlestown is in line for a multi-million euro rejuvenation project which will see the whole estate redesigned and rebuilt.
The 40-year-old Parkview Housing Estate in Lowpark, Charlestown, has been in a state of disrepair for a number of years with half of the 30-house estate closed up and empty. The new plan will see the total demolition of one half of the estate while the rest of the houses will be stripped bare before they are redesigned and refurbished.
The cost of the entire project is expected to be in the region of €5/6 million and Mayo County Council is now seeking matching funding from the Department of the Environment for the ambitious project.
Local Sinn Féin councillor, Gerry Murray, welcomed the announcement that Mayo County Council had agreed to rejuvenate the estate. He said the estate was badly designed at the beginning and the new design will ensure that each house will have a sizeable front and back garden.
“I am glad the Council has agreed to go ahead with this project because I have been campaigning for this for a long time because the estate has not worked. There was far too much common green space but the new design will see the houses turned around and it will basically be a new estate,” he said.
Cllr Murray admitted that in the current economic climate there were no guarantees that the Department will put up the money in the short term. However, he said the Council had other options to raise the money, including securing public/private funding and he felt it would be good deal for all concerned.
“As capital projects go, this is not a major development because it is not like you are building from scratch.
“This is a brown field site and the expenses that exist are well below that of a normal development. The services are already there, we have the ESB and the water already connected and I feel it would be a good deal for the Council, the Department and the residents,” he said.