Anger over community centre closure in Monkstown

The centre was to close for an indefinite length of time so as major repairs could be carried out.

Chairman of the Monkstown Tenants Association, Desi Dowds, said he had been given assurances that the worked would be completed as soon as possible and he hoped that this would be the case.

“I don’t like this inconvenience but it has to be done because of the bad workmanship that went into the building in the first place.

“The whole thing was a complete disaster since it was built about four years ago,” he explained.

The work was expected to cost around £4,500 and would include the renovation of the toilets and work to combat damp and condensation problems in the main hall and lounge areas of the centre.

The question of responsibility for the defects was to be pursued in consultation with Newtownabbey Borough Council’s legal advisers.

Mr Dowds hoped that the work would be completed quickly because he felt that it could be hard to attract people back to the venue.