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The Journal
4 days ago
- Business
- The Journal
‘Waste of taxpayer money': €2.5m spent on Cork housing estate now being partially demolished
A CORK COUNCILLOR has described the €2.5 million spent on a housing estate in Cork which is now being partially demolished as a 'complete waste of taxpayers' money'. The delivery of 24 homes in the Kilmore Road area of Knocknaheeny was included as part of the Cork City Northwest Quarter Regeneration (CNWQR) Masterplan, which was launched in 2011. Work started at the site in March of 2020 but was halted a few months later, leaving homes in an unfinished state for several years. When asked about the Knockaheeny project in the Dáil last year, then-Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien said he had been informed that the project was stalled due to 'complex contractual negotiations' with the previous contractor. The dispute was settled last May and the project was then put out for tender again last July, with a cost estimate of €5 million, in order to restart and finish the project. Works started up again under a new contractor this summer and locals said it appeared as though the unfinished homes were being demolished. At a recent Cork City Council meeting, Sinn Féin councillor Kenneth Collins asked the council for the total amount paid to the original contractor. He also enquired about 'the percentage amount of work complete that will require demolition and the cost of this demolition'. The Council said the original contractor had been paid close to €2.5 million last May and that '0% of the works complete will require demolition'. 'There's guys up there with Kango hammers taking down blocks,' Collins told The Journal . 'In my opinion, if a structure is up and you have guys Kango hammering blocks down, that's demolition.' The Journal / YouTube He said structures which were once three-storey have since been reduced to two-storeys and that the Council informed him that 'there was partial demolition happening'. Advertisement Collins said it's been a 'complete waste of taxpayers' money' and questioned the methods behind awarding the original contract. He added that councillors had wanted to 'cut loose' the original contractor so that the 'much-needed homes' could be built. 'Eventually it had to go back out to tender and there is a new company in constructing the houses now. 'But they are demolishing the houses and taking housing down. 'I have videos where you can hear the Kango hammer in the background.' Cork City Council will come before the Oireachtas Housing Committee in the next Dáil term and Collins said 'questions need to be answered'. Meanwhile, party colleague and Cork TD Thomas Gould remarked that there is 'clear evidence of demolition'. 'Why the Council would issue us with a response saying that no demolition is taking place is beyond me when anyone with two eyes can see that contractors are on site removing work that was completed.' Gould said locals have been living 'beside a building site for years on end' and that the Council has 'broken commitment after commitment when it came to this site'. 'And now what we have is an admission that €2.5m has been paid to a builder when the Council themselves said there were issues with quality' said Gould. 'What is being done to recoup this money? Are developers now allowed to walk away with taxpayers money after leaving sites like this half-built for years?' He said the issue is 'indicative of a government who put developers before people' and that 'construction inflation and the cost of demolition likely means the final cost will be double, if not triple, the original projection'. Gould added that this has 'caused huge delays to a regeneration project that was already moving at glacial pace'. Cork City Council has been approached for comment. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Metro
26-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
I didn't know much about Oasis - I still left Wembley in tears
When I found out I was going to see Oasis, it felt like winning a golden ticket to Willy Wonka's chocolate factory – only to remember I've never had much of a sweet tooth. Growing up in the U.S., Oasis were 'those guys who sang Wonderwall,' a song so overplayed and parodied it barely registered as music anymore. I honestly thought they were a one-hit wonder – a British meme band people pretended to like for the bit. So when I moved to the UK and realised that Oasis aren't just a band here, but a cultural institution, I was baffled. How could something so massive not have translated to the States, when we're famously greedy for British exports? We'll take your Shakespeare, your Love Island, your Paddington, but somehow not your Gallagher brothers? Every time I tried to listen to Oasis, it felt like walking into a house of worship for a religion I didn't belong to. The symbols were familiar, the rituals recognisable, but the meaning escaped me. I always concluded the same thing: Oasis is so rooted in its Britishness that it struggles to stand alone outside that context, and unlike the Arctic Monkeys or other UK exports, the music itself isn't quite strong enough to overcome that cultural specificity. But if Oasis is a religion, then Friday night at Wembley was my spiritual awakening. It began with Liam and Noel Gallagher walking on stage hand-in-hand, a moment that sent the crowd into such a frenzy I genuinely thought I was witnessing a world-historical reconciliation – 'Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall, ' but with more bucket hats. Behind them, a montage of media headlines played, charting the road to their reunion. As I tried to read them, I noticed with genuine shock that the men around me – mostly in their forties – were openly weeping. I felt like an imposter. Like a lifelong, Buddhist receiving a blessing from the Pope: Was this moment wasted on me? Liam – bucket hat pulled so low he could've wandered through the crowd unnoticed – was relentlessly on-brand: tambourine in his mouth, mid-song gestures for someone to fetch him a drink, radiating pure cheeky swagger. But it wasn't the chaotic bravado that's landed him in trouble before. It felt authentic, playful, and even self-aware. His voice was strong, precise, and melodic. I'd never found him impressive on record, but in that moment, I got that this is how he's meant to be heard: backed by a tidal wave of fans scream-singing every word back at him like a battle cry. Astonishingly, all but three of the 23 songs played came from a blistering 18-month period between 1994 and 1995, making the evening a concentrated portrait of a hyper-specific period of time. Noel's solo section was unexpectedly moving. The Masterplan and Little by Little reminded everyone who the melodic architect really is, while Half the World Away, dedicated to The Royle Family ('not that royal family, the real f***ing Royle Family,' he clarified), lit up the stadium in a sea of swaying phone lights. Liam returned for Live Forever, dedicated to the late Ozzy Osbourne, whose face was projected on the screens in an unexpectedly touching acknowledgement of the shoulders Oasis stood on to reach such great heights. The crowd – who started at energy level 10 and ended somewhere around unhinged – was the friendliest I've ever encountered at a show. There was a jittery, reverent alertness to them, the energy of people who had spent too much money, waited too many months, and weren't going to miss a single second. In front of me, a group of forty-something men who proudly told me they'd known each other since secondary school in Leeds had reunited from all corners of the UK after fighting tooth and nail for tickets. They cried. They hugged. They threw beer. One of them, too drunk to stand still, barely faced the stage. Arms flung over his head, head tilted back, he grinned like a man reborn. It was as if to say: I don't need to see it, I just need to feel it. And he did. But did I? Oasis's music is inseparable from the moment it emerged: mid-'90s Britain, all swagger and denim and cigarettes in the rain. If you were a teenager then, I doubt you can see them objectively, and if you weren't there, I'm not sure you ever truly get it. I accept that. They captured a version of Britain when things felt possible: Cool Britannia, Blair before the disillusionment, Britpop dominating the charts, football in renaissance, and an economy that still promised upward mobility. They were Beatlesy, but stripped of the naivety. Less dreamy, more laddish. They felt like the natural continuation of something proudly, specifically British in a moment when globalization was eroding cultural edges. Still, most of their music sounds… fine to me. Competent. Catchy. But not great. Then again, I love plenty of music that sounds unremarkable to others. Nostalgia is a hell of a drug. And if I can't see past my own biases, I certainly can't fault anyone else for theirs. At one point, the man next to me noticed I was taking notes and asked what I was doing. When I explained I was reviewing the show, he appointed himself Oasis's unofficial spokesperson. 'This one's a B-side,' he said semi-defensively during Acquiesce, 'but it's for the real fans. It might be hard to understand… maybe even boring to you but…' I reassured him I was having an excellent time, which was true. But more than that, it felt borderline disrespectful not to have a great time while witnessing a night many people would remember as one of the best of their lives. So I gave in. I leaned into the energy. And before long, I was on the shoulders of a father of three from Newcastle – whose name was either Tom or Greg – scream-singing Rock 'n' Roll Star like I, too, was from Northumberland and had shared my first kiss to it in 1996. As I began to understand – physically, emotionally, viscerally – the big deal about this band, things only ramped up. Liam called Wonderwall a 'wretched song' but sang it anyway. The communal roar that followed felt like the ghosts of 90,000 people's youths materialising for four minutes and sixteen seconds. Tom or Greg cried without embarrassment, clinging to the neck of his lifelong friend ('This bloke right here, since we was ten!') who beamed so hard I thought his face might split. Then came Champagne Supernova, fireworks exploding over Wembley. More Trending Liam closed the night with: 'Nice one for making this happen. It's good to be f***ing back.' Somehow, in the context, it felt like a Shakespearan monologue. I left Wembley exhausted, elated, and – somehow – converted. Still, if you weren't a teenager in 1996, I'm not sure you can ever fully understand what Oasis means to their fans. They're too embedded in a specific moment, a particular British mythology that doesn't translate easily. But on Friday night, I brushed up against it and realised it's not that Oasis's deep entanglement with British culture holds them back from being one of the world's greatest rock bands – it's precisely what makes them so special. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Oasis honour late rocker Ozzy Osbourne with sweet Wembley show tribute MORE: Aldi permanently changes name of store in a move shoppers are calling 'biblical' MORE: Oasis hit London this weekend – here's where to buy the reunited band's official merch
Scoop
09-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Community Input Helps Shape Final Māpua Masterplan
After nearly two years of extensive community engagement, Tasman District Council's Strategy and Policy Committee has approved the Māpua Masterplan and Māpua Catchment Management Plan for formal adoption. The Mayor and Councillors voted 12–1 in favour at the deliberations hearing held on Thursday, 5 June at the Council Chambers in Richmond. Formal adoption by the full Council is expected on 31 July 2025. This approval marks a major milestone and reflects the valuable contributions made by the Māpua and Ruby Bay communities throughout the process. Community feedback played a key role in shaping the final plan — from public meetings and surveys to written submissions, a wide range of ideas and perspectives were considered. While we recognise the plan may not satisfy everyone, we believe it represents a balanced approach that meets future growth needs while honouring community aspirations. Key outcomes in the Masterplan include: Securing Kite Park's future as a recreational area Preserving the cultural heritage of Grossi Point Supporting diverse housing options to accommodate future residents Enhancing recreational linkages while protecting natural habitats Community support for housing diversity was especially clear in feedback and is reflected in the final plan. Although the Masterplan is a long-term guide, we are preparing to implement key actions, including initiating a change to the Tasman Resource Management Plan in August 2025. This will involve collaboration with landowners and completing a heritage assessment of Grossi Point. We will continue to provide regular updates as implementation progresses. Thank you to everyone in the Māpua and Ruby Bay communities for your engagement, patience, and ideas — your input has helped shape a plan that reflects both community values and future needs.
Borneo Post
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Borneo Post
Transformation of Sarawak's Native Courts to involve new legislation, amendments to existing ordinances
Datuk Jefferson Jamit Unyat — Photo by Chimon Upon KUCHING (May 22): The study to upgrade the status of the Native Courts of Sarawak has been completed and is now in the planning stage to be tabled as a Bill in the State Legislative Assembly (DUN). Deputy Minister in the Premier's Department (Native Customs and Laws) Datuk Jefferson Jamit Unyat said the restructuring and upgrading study, which began in 2020, was completed in February 2023. The final report was presented to the state Cabinet in July 2023. 'The Cabinet has, in principle, approved the findings of the 'Masterplan for the Transformation of the Native Courts of Sarawak',' he said in response to a question from Bukit Semuja assemblyman John Ilus during the DUN Sitting here today. He explained that based on the transformation master plan, the Native Courts will undergo restructuring that involves the drafting of new legislation and amendments to existing ordinances. 'The existing Native Courts Ordinance, 1992 will need to be repealed and replaced with a new Native Courts Ordinance,' he said. Jamit added that a New Native Courts Bill will be drafted and tabled in the upcoming Sarawak Assembly sitting. Additionally, a New Native Courts Judges Appointment Council and Native Courts Judges Remuneration Bill will also be drafted and tabled, along with amendments to the Majlis Adat Istiadat Sarawak Ordinance, 1977. Commenting on the implications for the administration and enforcement of Native Customary Law, he said the restructuring will involve changes in the administrative structure and jurisdiction of the courts. 'Court cases will be handled by certified and qualified magistrates and judges in four levels of court: Native Magistrates' Court, Native High Court, Native Court of Appeal, and Native Supreme Court,' he said. He stressed that this initiative will ensure court management and trials are more structured and professional, on par with the Civil and Syariah courts. In response to a supplementary question from the Bukit Semuja assemblyman on the specific changes brought about by the transformation, he said the Native Courts hierarchy will be streamlined into two main levels — the Native Lower Court and the Native High Court. 'This transformation will also involve the development of the Chief Registrar's Office organisation in terms of operations and human resource needs,' he said. He added that the restructured courts will have a headquarters in Kuching Division and three regional centres located in the Samarahan, Sibu, and Miri Divisions. Jefferson Jamit Unyat lead Native Courts of Sarawak
