Marv
February 25th, 2012, 05:13 PM
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2106282/The-death-trap-estate-Aerial-picture-reveals-shocking-dangers-ghost-town-year-old-boy-died--hundreds-like-it.html
This is the ghost estate which was a tragedy waiting to happen, and where toddler Liam Keogh drowned.
http://i40.tinypic.com/34obknq.jpg
The hazardous site is an obstacle course strewn with piles of rubble and sharp broken slates that are a danger to any child that could crawl through the holes in the wire fence, which was crumbling in places.
The gaps in the barriers surrounding the ghost estate were quickly mended after two-year-old Liam’s body was found on the site by a horrified neighbour on Thursday.
But the repairs are too late for the child and his grief-stricken parents, Yolanda and Wesley Keogh.
[...]
The uneven ground covered in long grass is dotted with hidden holes and dips filled with water.
A river of stagnant water inside the fence almost surrounds the development.
Liam drowned after falling in a pool of water surrounded by drains after he followed the family dog through the fence.
[...]
Responsibility for upkeep of the site lies with developer Tony Diskin.
One neighbour told how parents are constantly terrified their children will sneak into the estate.
He said: ‘I am always warning my two to never go in there, but you know children, they see somewhere like that as an adventure.
'It is such a dangerous place right beside our homes where lots of little children live. It is a death trap.
'It was a tragedy waiting to happen and now it has – my heart is broken for that lad and his poor family.’
[...]
Liam’s mother Yolanda became aware her son had gone missing shortly after midday on Thursday.
She immediately alerted neighbours who desperately searched the area for him.
A local man found him at the far side of the ghost estate. He was rushed to Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe where he later died.
A neighbour said: ‘The man that found Liam is distraught, he is inconsolable. Finding that little boy like that was the worst day of his life.
The Glenatore estate, which is under development by Diskin Enterprises, was granted permission for 66 terraced homes and apartments in 2005 – but just five properties were occupied and 13 were vacant in 2011.
The safety of more than 2,800 ghost estates is now in focus after little Liam tragically became Ireland’s first victim of Ireland’s unfinished developments.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2105804/Liam-Keogh-2-dead-Irish-ghost-estate-drowning-pool-water.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
[...]
Westmeath County Council last night said that Glenatore is a Category Three ghost estate, and that the responsibility for its maintenance and upkeep lies with the developer, Tony Diskin.
In a grim twist, it is believed that Mr Diskin, who is involved in a separate high-profile property development in Athlone, is a family friend.
‘The tragic part of this story is that Tony is well known to the family. He is a well-known businessman in Athlone generally speaking. What has happened is unthinkable,’ said local councillor Kevin Moran.
Described by estate agents as an exclusive development, Glenatore – which is close to Lough Ree – consists of 66 terraced homes and apartments, and was given planning permission in 2005.
Just five properties were occupied and 13 were vacant, according to the 2011 national house survey.
Others were never started or were at various stages of construction when building work stopped.
The section of the estate which the toddler stumbled into remains unfinished. A spokesman from the county council said a decision on whether to launch an investigation will be made after the facts of the case are known.
‘This is very tragic and we would like to offer our sympathies to the family of the child concerned,’ he said.
Tributes poured in yesterday from locals and neighbours, while urgent questions have now arisen about the safety of the estate.
I read in an earlier article that the developer may face charges for not keeping the site secure. But can't find that reference now.
This is the ghost estate which was a tragedy waiting to happen, and where toddler Liam Keogh drowned.
http://i40.tinypic.com/34obknq.jpg
The hazardous site is an obstacle course strewn with piles of rubble and sharp broken slates that are a danger to any child that could crawl through the holes in the wire fence, which was crumbling in places.
The gaps in the barriers surrounding the ghost estate were quickly mended after two-year-old Liam’s body was found on the site by a horrified neighbour on Thursday.
But the repairs are too late for the child and his grief-stricken parents, Yolanda and Wesley Keogh.
[...]
The uneven ground covered in long grass is dotted with hidden holes and dips filled with water.
A river of stagnant water inside the fence almost surrounds the development.
Liam drowned after falling in a pool of water surrounded by drains after he followed the family dog through the fence.
[...]
Responsibility for upkeep of the site lies with developer Tony Diskin.
One neighbour told how parents are constantly terrified their children will sneak into the estate.
He said: ‘I am always warning my two to never go in there, but you know children, they see somewhere like that as an adventure.
'It is such a dangerous place right beside our homes where lots of little children live. It is a death trap.
'It was a tragedy waiting to happen and now it has – my heart is broken for that lad and his poor family.’
[...]
Liam’s mother Yolanda became aware her son had gone missing shortly after midday on Thursday.
She immediately alerted neighbours who desperately searched the area for him.
A local man found him at the far side of the ghost estate. He was rushed to Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe where he later died.
A neighbour said: ‘The man that found Liam is distraught, he is inconsolable. Finding that little boy like that was the worst day of his life.
The Glenatore estate, which is under development by Diskin Enterprises, was granted permission for 66 terraced homes and apartments in 2005 – but just five properties were occupied and 13 were vacant in 2011.
The safety of more than 2,800 ghost estates is now in focus after little Liam tragically became Ireland’s first victim of Ireland’s unfinished developments.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2105804/Liam-Keogh-2-dead-Irish-ghost-estate-drowning-pool-water.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
[...]
Westmeath County Council last night said that Glenatore is a Category Three ghost estate, and that the responsibility for its maintenance and upkeep lies with the developer, Tony Diskin.
In a grim twist, it is believed that Mr Diskin, who is involved in a separate high-profile property development in Athlone, is a family friend.
‘The tragic part of this story is that Tony is well known to the family. He is a well-known businessman in Athlone generally speaking. What has happened is unthinkable,’ said local councillor Kevin Moran.
Described by estate agents as an exclusive development, Glenatore – which is close to Lough Ree – consists of 66 terraced homes and apartments, and was given planning permission in 2005.
Just five properties were occupied and 13 were vacant, according to the 2011 national house survey.
Others were never started or were at various stages of construction when building work stopped.
The section of the estate which the toddler stumbled into remains unfinished. A spokesman from the county council said a decision on whether to launch an investigation will be made after the facts of the case are known.
‘This is very tragic and we would like to offer our sympathies to the family of the child concerned,’ he said.
Tributes poured in yesterday from locals and neighbours, while urgent questions have now arisen about the safety of the estate.
I read in an earlier article that the developer may face charges for not keeping the site secure. But can't find that reference now.