Ten vacant houses in notorious ghost estate in Rathangan being refurbished
The housing estate became a symbol for ghost estates in the national media and was considered for demolition
TEN existing vacant houses are currently under refurbishment as part of the regeneration of St Patrick’s Park in Rathangan, one of Kildare’s most infamous ‘ghost estates’.
At the recent meeting of Kildare Newbridge Municipal District on 17 December, cllr Noel Connolly asked if Kildare County Council (KCC) could confirm what progress was being made on the redevelopment of the estate. He also asked for a target date on the completion of the project.
At the meeting, cllr Connolly thanked Shirley Farrar, administrative officer at the Housing Department of KCC, for her engagement on the matter before the meeting.
A report issued by Ms Farrar in response to cllr Connolly’s question stated that ‘the project is progressing well on site’. It said that the ten existing vacant houses currently under refurbishment are due to be completed in February. It added that there are three new build houses ‘at an advanced stage of construction’, with a further four houses having started construction recently.
The report further detailed that alongside the refurbishment and construction of houses, other work including ‘demolition works, new watermains, sewers, ESB ducting, walls and footpaths’ is progressing as expected.
The report added that the works are being completed on a phased basis, with January 2027 being the target completion date for the project.
Also at the meeting, cllr Connolly added that he wanted the estate taken in charge by the council. This request was seconded by cllr Pat Balfe. If this were to happen, responsibility for the estate would be transferred to KCC through a formal legal process.
The estate, which is located within 1km of Rathangan, was established 56 years ago. It began to decline in the late 1990s and early noughties. KCC made a suggestion to build more social housing there in 2007 but could not reach agreement with the residents, leading to further flight and dereliction. It became a symbol for ghost estates in the national media and was considered for demolition.
KCC purchased 34 derelict properties in 2019. In January of last year, KCC signed an €8.5 million contract making ML Quinn Construction the main developers for the redevelopment of the estate under the Remedial Works Scheme run by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
