Irwin concerned over unfinished developments

Newry and Armagh DUP Assembly member Councillor William Irwin MLA has debated the issue of unfinished roads, footpaths and sewer systems in housing developments and the invoking of Roads Service surety bonds in the Assembly Chamber this week. Speaking on a motion which called for a review into how the process of invoking a surety bond was carried out by DRD Roads Service, Irwin said the debate was important as many residents were “growing more and more concerned” at the length of time it was taking to address these issues.

He stated, “I know of quite a few developments in the constituency where unfinished roads and footpaths are a real headache for residents who are living in unfinished developments. I made the point that there are a lot of safety hazards in such developments given the way in which many developers halted works given the crisis in the property market.”

“My offices are in regular contact with Roads Service over a number of such developments where residents are without street lighting or temporary road surfaces are crumbling away due to not receiving the finishing coat of tarmac. I made the point in the debate that residents in this situation paid good money to buy their house and in some cases they are living beside a building site and that situation doesn’t look like changing anytime soon,” he continued.

He added, “I think the road bond scheme certainly needs reviewed given we are in an altogether more stringent financial climate and that Roads Service are obviously dealing with a higher number of cases. I think the Minister Danny Kennedy needs to get a handle on this issue and ensure that residents aren’t being put at risk in these situations especially in situations where they are without a decent road surface or without street lighting.”

Short URL: https://newrytimes.com/?p=5328

Posted by Newry Times News on Feb 8 2012. Filed under Community. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry