Habinteg CEO meets with Conars Court residents following 'sit-in'

Conars Court residents have held a rally in Derry - Londonderry after living for months without a full gas supply to their homes. 

Habinteg Housing Association are responsible for a number of the properties withing the complex.

The organisation's CEO met with residents yesterday after they staged a sit-in at Habinteg's Foyle offices.

MLA Eamon McCann says many residents may be living in dangerous surroundings:

"Residents have been living for 153 days with no heating, no hot water and the constant anxiety that the gas fittings are not entirely safe as the venting from the gas system was channelled back into the building, rather than outside. That design fault has alarmed the residents. 

"The winter is coming in now, in the summer months it may have been liveable when the weather was reasonably warm but there's a chill in the air now and it's particularly difficult for people with children living in Conars Court.

"We're facing an unacceptable situation and that's why, after a number of promises which were not delivered on, yesterday's actions were regarded by a number of residents as the appropriate one to take."

A spokesperson for Habinteg Housing Association said:

"We understand and empathise with the frustrations of residents at Conar’s Court and have been taking all steps to complete necessary work and bring the gas heating system back into operation as swiftly as possible. It is never in our interest to cause disruption to tenants and a range of mitigation measures have already been put in place to minimise inconvenience.

"We are working intensely on this matter today, particularly in relation to a number of points raised by some of the residents yesterday at a meeting with Habinteg’s Chief Executive. We can assure residents that we are dedicating all time and resources to reasonably and appropriately respond to the points which were raised."