By Dionne Meehan
FOR the past 19 months, residents of two Ballymacool estates in Letterkenny have been living through a nightmare, one that has only grown more distressing this week.
In October 2023, residents of nine homes, eight in The Forest estate and one in The Woods estate, were initially informed that their properties were being listed for sale.
This came as Phil Boyle, of the London-based company Twin Estates, sought planning permission from Donegal County Council to develop a further 52 houses in Ballymacool.
Since receiving the green light for the development, the company has been negotiating with the council over the purchase of some of the properties under the Tenant-in-Situ scheme.
In June last year, samples were collected from all the houses in accordance with scheme regulations, with the hope that favourable results would allow the council to proceed with the purchase promptly.
However, heartbreak struck again for residents this week when the council withdrew from the purchase of eight houses, with one property still under review pending a final decision.
In a letter seen by the Donegal News, council officials say the reasoning for this is due to outstanding clarifications previously requested from Phil Boyle’s Civil Engineer.
“Given the significant time that has elapsed since the initial engagement and the absence of the required clarifications, the Council must now bring this matter to a conclusion,” the letter reads.
“Accordingly, the council will not be proceeding with the acquisition of the properties, with the potential exception of House No. 76 The Woods, which remains under review pending a final decision.”
Branding the situation an “absolute disgrace”, Cllr Tomás Sean Devine said these families are now being forced to find new accommodation in Letterkenny by September, a task he described as virtually impossible.
“It is a very hard situation,” he said. “We will try and do whatever we can to help, but the property situation in Letterkenny at the minute is next to nil.
“There is nothing there.”
Cllr Devine said he receives phone calls on the daily from locals who are homeless, who need somewhere to live, but there are no options out there.
“We have a major housing crisis and I have to keep going back and saying this,” he said.
“We have the biggest housing crisis in Europe probably, here in Donegal, with defective blocks, the lack of housing and with how many people are on the housing list.
“Yet, we have been waiting on a Housing Minister to come to the county for five years.
“It is absolutely shocking.”
Cathal Mac Floinn, former Chairperson of the Ballymacool Residents’ Group and organiser of the Ballymacool Anti-Eviction Group, said this week’s news has come as a massive shock.
“This has been dragged out for 19 months,” he said.
“It was October 2023 when the residents got the eviction notices originally and we fought really, really hard to keep them in their homes.”
Agreeing with Cllr Devine, Mr Mac Floinn said due to the housing crisis, the residents have nowhere to go.
“There are no properties in the locality at all,” he said.
“These families have children that go to the local schools, they play on the local football teams, all their friends live close, and they are a network, a community.
“However, some of them may have to move out of Letterkenny to get homes. They will have to take their children out of school and take them away from their friends.
“If we have a look on Daft.ie for houses to rent in the local area, there is nothing there.
“Where do they go?
“What we would really like is answers from Donegal County Council.”
The Donegal News asked Donegal County Council if they wished to comment on the situation, however, no response was received before going to press yesterday.
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