We look at the stories that were making the headlines in the Andersonstown News this week in 1985...
’Murph home owners up in arms
PEOPLE who have bought their homes from the Housing Executive in the Ballymurphy estate in West Belfast have this week accused the housing authorities of discrimination against them in the refurbishing that is being carried out in the estate at the moment.
The home owners, of whom there are only nine in the whole Ballymurphy estate, purchased the Orlit type houses from the Housing Executive about five years ago, but these proved to have serious defects.
An inspection carried out by the Building Research Establishment for the DoE in 1983, found that the chloride added to the cement for quick drying during the building of the Orlit homes, was eating away at the steel structure, which left some of them in a dangerous condition. The Housing Executive have initiated a crash programme to fix the defects on property they own in Ballymurphy and New Barnsley, but are refusing to effect repairs on the houses owned by private individuals.
"We think this is a ridiculous situation," one home owner told our reporter. "There are only nine Orlit homes owned by private individuals in the whole Ballymurphy estate and this will mean we will be sitting out like a sore thumb when the work is completed."
The refurbishing work will entail re-cladding the outside of the houses and the home owners feel that if their houses are not cladded then the job will only be half finished.
The Housing Executive say that grants are available to home owners to carry out the repairs necessary, but the owners themselves think that special legislation now being put through Parliament in England regarding Orlit houses there, puts their eligibility for grants in some doubt. Many of the home owners feel that they have been hard done by, by the Housing Executive who were the original owners of the property, and they can' t see any reason why all the houses can' t be refurbished at the same time and the details worked out later.
BIG DAY: Confirmation Day at St Matthew’s in Short Strand
Workers’ Party oppose plan for West Belfast
A DEPUTATION from the Workers' Party is to meet Housing Minister, Mr Patton, to discuss the DoE's consultative document on Housing Need in Greater West Belfast, and the Workers' Party's detailed response to it. The Minister has confirmed, in a letter to the party, that he will have a meeting with them on the issue.
Lagan Valley Spokesperson for the Workers’ Party, John Lowry, commented: "We will be putting forward to the Minister our total opposition to the DoE.'s plans which are hastily conceived and a recipe for housing disaster. We are greatly concerned about the further loss of industrial land at Poleglass.
“Under the original Poleglass scheme 122 acres of land were to be made available for industrial development; this was cut to 65 acres and now it is proposed to reduce it even further to just 22 acres. This is not a question of competition for land between industry and housing.
“Ample land for badly needed houses exists at Lagmore. In fact the DoE and the Housing Executive have detailed plans for housing development at Lagmore which was what the original Poleglass housing scheme had envisaged. We believe that that scheme should go ahead in full."
Mr Lowry asked: "Are the DoE trying to get housing on the cheap, whilst at the same time declaring an area of population equal to Derry City an economic wasteland whose people must accept a life on the dole? Or is it that they are frightened of the furcoat bigots on Lisburn Council who care little about the question of jobs and houses for anyone in the Lisburn area.
“Neither Thatcherite policies nor Unionist sectarianism can be allowed to stand in the way of decent jobs and homes for the people of Greater West Belfast."
Photographic exhibition at Matt Talbot Youth Club
A PHOTOGRAPHIC exhibition commenced on Wednesday, 13th March, at Matt Talbot Youth Club, Moyard Parade. The exhibition was officially opened by Hugh Russell, Flyweight Boxing Champion, and members of the unemployed club youth workers, and members of the public were present.
The display of over 150 photographs depicting the environment, the community and youth provision in the area over the past ten years were largely taken by present leaders, Mark Tuohy, Gerard Wylie, Brian McLaughlin and John Donnelly. There is also a section of prints taken by members of the club's Photographic Group, one of the educationally-based facilities in the club programme. The exhibition will continue in the club premises until April 5th. For further information contact the club.
