St Theresa Gardens Revisited
For the past couple of years or so, your favourite online newswire, Fountain News, has been following the regeneration progress of St Theresa Gardens. On Wednesday 25th May, I went back up to what was once that famous flat complex. Directly behind the Coombe Hospital, the complex is now all but gone. The four double blocks, has been reduced to one. Across the little road that used to separate each block, the first double block of flats to be regenerated is finished. The block of flats that used to be single units, are now opened up to accommodate one big flat in two units. They have all received new weather glazed windows and inside the flats have been gutted and redone.
Further up in to the flat complex that backs out to the sport fields known as Wilsers, it appears to be a ghost town. There are some units that still house occupants, but it feels as if it’s been abandoned. Today, while I was up there was quietness about it. I looked at my clock it was just gone past half three, and there was no children out playing in fact it felt like it was a ghost town.
The majority of the complex is now a building site, the middle block is now serving as some form of building providers to the workers on site. It has about four port cabins, and JCB machinery on board.
As part of the regeneration project there is talk of building up to 56 new houses with apartments, where they took down the recent flats. Also a new road will be coming to the flats; it will be possible to drive from Cork Street, through Eugene Street, then out on to South Circular Road using a new route, going through Wilsers sport field.
I asked a local what he thought about the changes in the flats, he said it was a long time coming. The man continued that a lot of people who were housed out of the flats, as part of the regeneration, to areas such as Crumlin and Ballyfermot, are unlikely to return, as they have left so long at this stage they are used to a new area. I also asked him about his old neighbours, some of them he replied are still in the area, some have left altogether. He also said the old school neighbours are long gone, but some of them still have family members living in the flat complex now.
From what I seen there yesterday the regeneration project is finally in full swing, and for the people who stayed put, that must be a wonderful joy for them. There is also talk of talking down the two blocks of flats that back out also on to Wilsers sport field, if they do this there will be nothing to say St Theresa Gardens ever existed.
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