RESIDENTS IN A retirement village in Enniscrone, Co Sligo facing eviction have been given a six-month reprieve by the former nursing home directors who own the properties.
They were due to be evicted next week but received a letter on Friday telling them they now have an additional half a year before they have to move out.
The homes are owned by Athlone-based company Nasso BK Holdings Ltd, which told residents in its letter today that it recognises the “uncertainty and distress this situation has caused to you and your families, and we fully appreciate that these houses are homes and part of a long-established community”.
“Therefore, the owners have agreed to extend the notice period by 6 months to allow further engagement. I want to reassure residents that no one will be required to leave their home immediately on the 6 of June.”
The affected households are part of a wider estate of 27 houses for independent living, dotted around a nursing home in the coastal town.
The homes – part of an estate named Sonas Retirement Village – were previously owned by a group known as Sonas, the former owners of the nursing home, but rented out privately.
There were changes to the ownership of both the nursing home at the centre of the development and the surrounding houses earlier this year.
The nursing home is now owned by a separate group, Ethos Care.
While some of the houses have since been sold to private owners, most of the 27 homes are now owned by Nasso BK Holdings Ltd.
In the latest correspondence with residents, Nasso BK Holdings explained that following the sale of the adjoining Sonas Nursing Home, the owners made the decision to sell a number of properties within the retirement village “as part of the winding down” of the company which owns them.
“Over an extended period, the owners explored possible solutions with a range of stakeholders, including Sligo County Council, Approved Housing Bodies and local politicians, to see if arrangements could be found that would allow residents to remain in their homes on a long-term basis while facilitating the sale of the properties and permitting the wind down of company,” the company continued in this week’s letter.
“While these efforts did not result in a viable solution, the owners remain open to constructive engagement.”
A spokesperson for the owners of the homes, Nasso BK Holdings, said that the company would remain open for talks with residents and their supporters.
“As we said in our letter to residents our door remains open for constructive engagement with all relevant stakeholders and we are hopeful a resolution can be found to the current situation,” the company told The Journal.
Residents’ reaction
However, the residents – who range in age between their 50s and 80s – have said they fear they will still face serious difficulty at finding a new place to live in the area as they said it has been “impossible” to find somewhere to date.
“What we need to happen is for the council to step in and purchase the houses or find permanent housing that’s to the standard that the houses are here,” resident Patricia Hogan told The Journal.
Patricia, who took early retirement to downsize to Enniscrone with her partner, said housing that is “suitable for those that are disabled and the elderly” is required.
“We have not come to a resolution,” she said before adding:
“We are not leaving as there is nowhere to go.”
Several households received the notices to quit last November, with six of them remaining in the village despite the eviction order.
They were to move out by 5 June.
The plight facing the residents was first reported in The Journal in December.