Marlfield owner to be contacted to discuss taking estate in charge

The registered owner of Marlfield estate in Kiltipper will be contacted soon to discuss taking it in charge, but residents are urged to submit a valid application.

The owner of Marlfield is to be contacted by the local authority in the coming weeks to discuss taking the estate in charge, but the residents of the area have been urged to submit an application for the full estate to be taken over as there are currently none of that description on record.

There is an official taking in charge application for 52m of footpath and public lighting along Marlfield Row, but not for the full area.

Furthermore, there are “several problems” with the site described in the application, and until the construction shortcomings are rectified, the council will not take that section of Marlfield in charge.

Councillor Adam Smyth noted that it will take “a bit of time” for everything to be in order before the process gains speed.

Cllr Smyth said: “There is a process which will take the residents, the new management company, a bit of time just to settle in with the new committee…it will take them a while to get completely ready – they are due an AGM as well.

“It is an entire new owner management company committee going in, so it will take some time to get going.”

He noted the importance of the correct information going out to residents as the process continues and keeping them in the loop.

The clamour to have the estate in the hands of the local authority comes after the inhabitants had dealt with a parking permit issue and icy relations with members of the formerly two-strong Board of Directors, which culminated in a strong Extraordinary General Meeting result in favour of the residents.

The locals were given three weeks’ notice of a new parking system in the estate that had detailed one permit to be issued to “all qualifying parties” and extras available for fees; €20 per second permit, €60 per third.

The system had led to people receiving fines and had caused distress in the community, who were surprised that parking permits were being introduced and would only be issued to those with accounts not in arrears.

Residents of the Marlfield estate located off Kiltipper Road passed four motions at an Extraordinary General Meeting in March, including one that prevented the management company committee at the time from implementing new parking rules without residential approval.

All four resolutions voted on at the EGM were passed overwhelmingly, including increasing the management company’s board of directors from two-strong to seven and the extension of voting rights for residents who are on payment plans over outstanding fees.

The planned next step is for it to come into the council’s hands, but until an application is sent and all areas of Marlfield are up to the standard of the council, this will not happen.