Funds drift from Cranmore to other areas

 FURTHER EVIDENCE has emerged recently that the Cranmore community will no longer be the 100% recipient of State funds received for it own Regeneration Programme.

Just under €50,000 was expended from the Cranmore kitty in 2011 in support of moving the final tenants from maisonettes in Doorly Park and securing the site.

No cost was provided for surveys conducted near the 28 houses in 2011. Further funds could be earmarked from the same source for demolition works in the year ahead.

The 2011 figure was supplied by the Minister for Housing, Jan O'Sullivan in the Dáil recently.

The figures also appear to suggest spending of, on average, €1,000 per household in Cranmore on a refurbishment programme in 2011. No breakdown is offered of that figure.


Not Aware


Previously, half a million euro was promised from the Regeneration fund by one of the Minister's predecessors in office, Michael Finneran.

Those funds have yet to materialise and this weeks meeting of Sligo Borough Council was told by its Director of Service Paula Gallagher that she was ''not aware at this point'' if the €500,000 would be on offer in O'Connell Street this year.

Cllr Sean MacManus who had raised the issue, classified the offer of half a million as ''a carrot'' to councillors who had met with the Minister.

The full list of non-pay costs for Cranmore Regeneration in 2011 were:-

1. House Acquisitions €1,009,600;
2. Refurbishment programme €479,364;
3. Office/Administration/Training €23,332;
4. De-tenanting and securing of Doorly Park Maisonettes €46,443;
5. Demolition of Centre Block / Cranmore Place - residual payments €58,742.

The figures for salaries were released separately by the Minister and were subject of a SligoToday.ie report earlier this month. See SligoToday.ie 14/3/12

Footnote: Monday night's meeting of the Borough Council heard that the Project might not even be confined any longer to the east ward.

Cllr Jude Devins confirmed discussions, not previously on the public record, which wished to include Sligo General Hospital, in the North Ward, in the Regeneration footprint.