Clare House, Newry economic appraisal expected by end of July

The Minister for Communities has promised that an economic appraisal being carried out on Clare House will be finished by the end of July and that once it reports the Housing Executive will consult with tenants.

Conor Murphy raises the issue of Clare House in the Assembly with the new Communities Minister

Minister Givan was responding to questioning from Sinn Féin MLA Conor Murphy on the status of plans to refurbish accommodation at the North Street flats.

The Newry representative, who has been campaigning on behalf of Clare House residents for some time now, pressed the Minister on the importance of the project. “I have previously met the former Social Development Minister on this issue and pressed the case with him,” Murphy said.

“The current Minister will be aware, from a brief look at the notes, that this property is very badly in need of renovation and needs a serious amount of money spent on it,” he insisted.

“The original deadline for completing the appraisal was in June, but the Minister’s answer suggests that it will now be in July. I ask him to ensure that a sense of urgency is given to the assessment and that a decision is taken in consultation with the residents.

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“This scheme has been awaited for a long time and is very much deserved by the residents, many of whom have lived there for the full 50 years that the flats have existed.”

Minister Girvan said the process would be carried out as speedily as possible. “The Housing Executive is carrying out an economic appraisal to assess a number of future investment options for Clare House,” he replied.

“It has indicated that it is not likely to have this appraisal completed until late July 2016. However, once an outcome is known, the Housing Executive has committed to consult with its tenants in Clare House.”

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Posted by Newry Times News on Jun 24 2016. Filed under Community, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry