This is just a note to encourage all residents to be on the lookout for anything suspicious and to double check home security, lock doors and windows when leaving your home. Sadly it doesn’t make for comfortable living but this is the world that we are faced with.

If you see anyone acting suspiciously or anything that just doesn’t look right then it’s better to be safe than sorry. The local Gardaí can be contacted on 051-305300 and we would encourage residents to keep and eye out for each other so that any events like this can be avoided in the future.

We are very lucky, living in Grange Manor, to have so many houses in the estate. This means that we can keep the annual contribution very low, less than a Euro a week per house to keep the estate looking pristine all year round. Our recommended contribution is much lower than that requested in many other estates throughout Waterford City. However, we can only do this if everyone contributes to the fund.

If you are renting your home then don’t forget to ask for a receipt from the person collecting the money so that you can give it to your landlord and get a refund. Alternatively, please have your landlord’s contact details to hand so that they can be contacted to arrange contribution to the fund.

Everyone on the residents’ committee is a volunteer, who gives their time for no reward, so please be aware that they have no personal gain from collecting money. It’s all in the interest of keeping our estate looking good.

A huge thanks to everyone who showed up, to help out. We did ourselves, and the estate, very proud. Also a big thanks to An Taisce who supplied the refuse sacks and the gloves to help with the clean-up. Here’s hoping that we can keep the estate looking so well for the months ahead.

Over a series of meetings where fears of the residents of the estate were conveyed and the resultant problems caused by this development outlined, a deal has been brokered whereby the best outcome is sought for all concerned.

It was outlined at the meetings that the residents of Grange Manor had no desire to delay the development at Grange Heights, nor did they hold any responsibility to the applicants of the development nor the architect of the development.

The following set of agreements has been reached:

1) A set of rules, ensuring strict adherence to health and safety considerations, strict times for trucks to enter the estate, and liaisons with the residents regarding on-going works has been agreed with the council and the representative of the developer.
2) The re-instatement of the green area is set to commence in the week of the 9th July 2010. The residents have been given assurances that this will be done to a high standard and should there be concern or substandard work done, the council have assured a proper reinstatement of the green area will be performed.
3) The licence granted to the developer provides for regular street sweeping to take place, to ensure the cleanliness of the estate roads.
4) A protective fence will be erected, blocking off the temporary roadway, secured so as to prevent toppling and unauthorised access to the site.
5) The proposed fencing will close off the top section of the green completely and the grass beyond will be maintained by the contractor.
6) An agreement was reached that good quality materials would be used to reinstate the green area after the road has served its purpose.
7) An agreement was reached that the current drainage problem, as a result of the road, will be corrected A.S.A.P. after construction is allowed to recommence.
8 ) An agreement was reached that the council will never grant a licence again for such disruption of the green areas in Grange Manor, barring any essential maintenance that would otherwise cause significant disruption to residents, e.g. broken pipes, etc.
9) An agreement was reached that upon reinstatement of the green the council will make a compensatory contribution to the green area, helping to provide some extra trees to restore its beauty and also to help return it to its properly maintained state.
10) An apology for the disruption will be issued to the residents, for not consulting them prior to granting of the licence.

The residents’ committee is providing this information to the residents so that as many people as possible are aware of what has happened and that proper representation was made, to ensure that the residents of the estate were acknowledged for their suffering and that a best possible outcome could be achieved for all parties. The residents’ committee has to respond to the council by Thursday 15th April 2010, accepting the proposals. If you have a strict objection/concern regarding any of the proposals then please e-mail us on residents_at_grangemanor_dot_org and let us know by Wednesday night, April 14th so that we have time to put them to the council.

The residents’ committee have acted swiftly to contact both local councillors and the city council to ascertain what is happening and to express the outrage of the residents at such a development that has apparently been allowed to happen with no consultation nor notice of proposed development being served on the site.

This development has caused great distress for many residents and stands as a major concern in terms of safety and the irreversible impact on the aesthetics of the green area at Magenta Grove. We would urge all residents to make your feelings known to the council on this matter and be assured that members of the committee are also acting on behalf of the estate to have this matter investigated as a matter of extreme urgency.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the handover of the estate by the builder to the city council and the responsibilities that now lie with the residents of the estate. The biggest issue associated with the handover is that grass cutting and weed control within the estate will soon stop and become the responsibility of the residents. Various options were suggested at the meeting as to how funds can be raised for this task and a decision will be made in the near future. However, it was noted that all residents have a responsibility to contribute towards the upkeep of the estate and the amount of money required to hire a landscaping company to take care of the grass cutting equates to very little per house if everyone contributes.

The meeting also saw the election of a new committee for the Residents Association and the departure of some long-serving members. Appreciation is due to those who have contributed time and effort throughout the years and helped to keep the association active. Also, new members of the committee were welcomed and a very positive show of interest was noted for the future upkeep of the estate.