Rathcoole tower block demolition work could begin this summer – Belfast Live

Work could begin this summer on the demolition of one of Rathcoole's iconic tower blocks.

The four Rathcoole tower blocks are a familiar site for many but the landmark high-rise buildings are set to be consigned to the history books.

As part of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive's Tower Blocks Action Plan, it is proposed that Monkscoole House and Abbotscoole House will both be demolished in the next five years.

They currently propose to retain Carncoole House and Glencoole House for a period of at least 10 years, and undertake associated improvement works.

Earlier this week, the tender for the demolition of Monkscoole House, which has been empty since late 2019, was advertised.

In a statement, the Housing Executive set out its timetable for the building's demolition. Once the contract is awarded, it is hoped work will begin on the site this summer and work will take around one year.

At the moment there is no timetable for the demolition of Abbotscoole House. Once it is demolished, the Housing Executive plans to build 50 social homes on the site of the two demolished tower blocks.

A spokesperson for the Housing Executive said: " The tender for the demolition of Monkscoole House was advertised on 17February 2021 and the last date for submissions is 18March 2021.

"Subject to the receipt of suitable tenders, we hope to award the contract in early May with work starting on site over the summer months. It is anticipated that it will take approximately 12 months to complete the demolition works.

"At present our proposal as set out in our Tower Blocks Action Plan approved by the Board of the Housing Executive and the Department for Communities is that Abbotscoole House would also be demolished and that 50 brand new social homes would be built on the combined cleared site of the two blocks. The current policy is that any new social housing is built by a registered housing association."

Residents were consulted on proposals for the tower blocks in 2018, but there is anger in the local area about the plans and many residents have been opposed to the demolition of the tower blocks.

Alliance councillor Billy Webb told Belfast Live there was a "lack of appreciation in the Housing Executive that this is not units of housing, it's people's homes".

"There was a public meeting held and residents of the mutli-stories were there and they were quite angry that their feelings of wanting to stay had not been taken into account," he said.

"It is going to cost a considerable amount of money to demolish a block, that money could have been put into upgrades. The people who have lived there for years could stay.

"There were people who had bought their flats in the multi-stories. One lady, she was not there that long, three years, but it was somewhere to retire to and was being faced with losing her home and it has a devastating effect on people."

The Housing Executive's Action Plan for its Tower Blocks Portfolio, has been developed on the premise that the Housing Executives aim remains the decommissioning of all of the 32 tower blocks.

The plan states: "The tower blocks represent a considerable ongoing financial liability for the Housing Executive - against a context of a significant projected shortfall in the funding that will be required for investment in the Housing Executives total housing stock - and in many cases are not meeting individuals and communities housing needs.

But UUP councillor Robert Foster said it was not too late for the Housing Executive to change its mind and instead use the money it would cost to demolish the block and instead renovate it.

He said the community were "up in arms" and he said the Housing Executive's decision was "short-sighted".

"People feel safe there," he said.

"There's no one banging down my door saying they want them gone."

Councillor Foster said numbers on the housing waiting list are rising with around 500 on the list in the Newtownabbey One district at present.

He added: "It is a landmark, people do identify with them coming in by boat or plane. They are Rathcoole's version of the cranes. The community has a lot of concern about it."

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Rathcoole tower block demolition work could begin this summer - Belfast Live