MP's praise for council's action
By Jo Deeks on Thursday, 24th June 1999.
THE NEWLY-elected Conservative controlled St Edmundsbury Borough Council has been praised by the local MP for funding a detailed study on the future of a housing estate.
Councillors approved a £10,000 detailed study on work needed at the top half of the Clements Estate in Haverhill, where more than 200 residents signed a petition.
Richard Spring, MP for West Suffolk, said he was delighted the council was immediately tackling the estate.
"Nothing reflects the legacy of the last Labour controlled council than their unwillingness to carry on upgrading of the estate, which they inherited. I pay tribute to the council leader Mike Brundle and most particularly Housing Committee chairman Jennifer Hart, for grasping the nettle," said Mr Spring.
"This study is a first step. Full refurbishment will be about £3.5 million, an enormous sum, which will need to be found for this purpose. I hope this will happen.
"At least we now have action from the council, rather than the complacency and lack of commitment of its predecessors," Mr Spring said.
Former council leader Gerry Kiernan said they had spent a lot of time over the past four years working on the Clements Estate and had always intended to do the top half as well.
Work on the lower section only finished in March this year and it was always planned to go to the Housing Committee to decide what should be done with the rest of the estate.
"A lot of work covered the whole estate, such as the health initiative and estate caretakers, who have made the estate cleaner than it has ever been.
"It was planned to go to the Housing Committee and it has done. The thing now is going to be to get the money together, which is not going to be easy, but it has got to be done," Coun Kiernan said.
Councillors approved a £10,000 detailed study on work needed at the top half of the Clements Estate in Haverhill, where more than 200 residents signed a petition.
Richard Spring, MP for West Suffolk, said he was delighted the council was immediately tackling the estate.
"Nothing reflects the legacy of the last Labour controlled council than their unwillingness to carry on upgrading of the estate, which they inherited. I pay tribute to the council leader Mike Brundle and most particularly Housing Committee chairman Jennifer Hart, for grasping the nettle," said Mr Spring.
"This study is a first step. Full refurbishment will be about £3.5 million, an enormous sum, which will need to be found for this purpose. I hope this will happen.
"At least we now have action from the council, rather than the complacency and lack of commitment of its predecessors," Mr Spring said.
Former council leader Gerry Kiernan said they had spent a lot of time over the past four years working on the Clements Estate and had always intended to do the top half as well.
Work on the lower section only finished in March this year and it was always planned to go to the Housing Committee to decide what should be done with the rest of the estate.
"A lot of work covered the whole estate, such as the health initiative and estate caretakers, who have made the estate cleaner than it has ever been.
"It was planned to go to the Housing Committee and it has done. The thing now is going to be to get the money together, which is not going to be easy, but it has got to be done," Coun Kiernan said.
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