Twenty years of dereliction

Residents living beside a derelict site in Lismeen Hills, Ballyjamesduff, say they are increasingly concerned about antisocial behaviour, fires and the general condition of the property, and are calling for answers about its future.

The worries follow a fire at the site on August 6. According to the County Council, the incident was attended by Ballyjamesduff Fire Brigade, backed up by Virginia Fire Brigade. The incident has been referred on to An Garda Síochána for investigation.

“As such, it would not be appropriate to comment further on the matter,” a spokesperson for Cavan County Council said.

However, residents say they had hoped for some resolution by now and feel they have been left hanging.

Lismeen Hills is a clustered estate of family homes, a half-built dwelling, and overgrown paths. A rusty plaque stuck to a slumped over barrier says “temporary fencing”.

Kathleen Boud, a resident and neighbour of the derelict site, says the condition of the area has been a growing concern. “It is not upkept. It’s an awful sight.” She has seen young people gathering at the site, with fires and partying. “It’s a shame in this housing crisis that the site is not used.”

Her garden borders the building site, which once envisioned more than 20 dwellings. It was one of the last to begin in Ballyjamesduff during the so-called boomtimes in 2006.

The wild array of shrubbery is proof of the neglect. It’s encroaching on the construction path, a remnant of the building spree. Cracks in concrete foundation spill out roots and grass. ESB mini pillars peek out from the bushes on the side of the path.

It has been about two years the residents reckon, since the gate of the construction site fence broke down - creating a connector between the Nun’s Walk from the County Museum down through the estate to the main road. It is one of the reasons they believe there has been more footfall in the abandoned site. Discarded bottles, coffee cups and wrappers support the conclusion.

Kathleen wants to know whether the council has been in contact with the vulture funds associated with the site to ascertain what their intentions are. Local councillor Noel Connell agrees it “badly needs to be cleaned up. It’s an awful state.”

He and his fellow Councillor Trevor Smith recently raised the issue at the Ballyjamesduff Municipal District meeting. Cllr Smith said parts of the site had been put up for sale, but the sale was withdrawn on the day of the auction.

Kathleen feels there should be a clear intention on the part of landowners to do something with derelict land, but for residents the issue is not simply about the appearance. They say the derelict development has become a place that has been associated with antisocial behaviour and fires over a number of years.

Around 10 years ago, a house on the premises burnt down and was subsequently demolished.

Lismeen Hills resident Paddy Shannon says there are “a lot of hiding places” for people to gather and that he too has witnessed antisocial behaviour and fires.

Referring to the fire last August, Paddy said the blaze was particularly frightening: “The fire brigade literally came through my back garden to spout water onto the fire,” he said.

He said the blaze spread quickly because it was a very dry summer: “It was encroaching on our houses, we were worried.”

Another resident, who did not want to be named, was worried that the emergency services would not arrive in time - pointing at the oil tank at the bottom of the garden. “The tank was only half the length of my garden away from it,” the resident says. Behind the garden wall, charred bushes and leafless black shrubbery bear witness to this.

“It’s dangerous. It’s not the first fire,” Paddy says.

The residents are worried about the security of their homes, but when they tried to get information from An Garda Síochána following the fire they were unable to get answers. They want to know, who is responsible or if someone can be made responsible for bringing the land back into use.