Housing association responds on Kells gas heating article

Dear sir - I am writing in response to the article by Ann Casey, entitled 'We need heat' plea from young mum waiting on gas' which appeared in your edition of 25th April last. Firstly, can I state that each house is equipped with dual heating, ie a gas system and an open fire, which are serviced/maintained by the North & East Housing Association on a regular basis. We have replaced boilers where necessary and in 2010 also upgraded the insulation in all of the houses. North & East Housing Association recognises that there has been an issue with the cost of heating on the estate, and have over the past number of months being actively seeking alternative solutions for our tenants there. While your article mentions this it unfortunately contains some errors of fact which need to be addressed. In the article, the tenant, Tara Lynch, is quoted as saying that when she moved in: "There was Calor Gas central heating, but because of an outstanding bill from a previous tenant, they were unwilling to connect her up and, two years later, she still doesn't have central heating." Having consulted our files and also spoken to Calor Gas, I can confirm that this is not the case: on the contrary a gas meter was fitted by Calor in December 2010, and that from that period on she has had a gas supply. Furthermore North & East installed a new boiler in the house in February 2011, which would not have been carried out if there was not a gas supply in the property. She further states: "I even offered to put in a solid fuel stove myself, and was told not to". This, again, is incorrect. In the latter part of 2011, North & East (as part of a review of the heating on the estate) was considering installing stoves in the houses in Blackthorn Grove. At the time it is true that Tara did ask if she could install a stove at her own expense; however she was given the option of either waiting to see if North & East were going to opt for the stoves, in which case the association would be paying for them, or, going ahead and installing the stove at her own expense. This advice was confirmed in an e-mail I sent to her TD, Shane McEntee on 12th December, after he had written to me at the tenant's request, in which I wrote: "We are aware that the tenant in question is anxious to put in a stove. Naturally we have been trying to save her this expense (if we are putting them in ourselves). If she wishes to move ahead and install a stove at her own expense, she can certainly do so, but it would have to be professionally installed and would have to remain in the house if she ever terminated her tenancy with us." In the event, the association, which was considering a number of heating alternatives including stoves, decided that the best option for the estate was the installation of natural gas. Tara would have been aware of this, as we held an information meeting for the tenants on the estate on 26th January. She would also have seen the contractors digging up the roads to bring the gas to the houses in February. We are currently in the process of going out to tender to have the last phase of the works completed, ie relocating the boilers in the houses and making the final connections. It is anticipated that this work will be carried out over the next couple of months. The cost to the association will be in the region of €100,000. I hope that this clarifies the matters raised in your article. North & East is looking forward to the resolution of the heating issue on the estate, and to our tenants benefiting from the heating upgrade. Yours, Ken Lynam, Housing and Development manager, North & East Housing Association, Kirkfield Cottages, Clonsilla, Dublin 15.