Category Archives: News

news as it is happening-ish

dev

The Irish Times reports that Development Securities plc, the British listed fund backing Johnny Ronan, plans to invest up £20 million (about €25 million) in equity into Irish property deals, according to an investor presentation.

Dev Sec confirmed it was part of a consortium – including developers Paddy McKillen and Johnny Ronan, as well as Colony Capital, a €20 billion American investment fund – that has bought a development site on Burlington Road, in Dublin 4, for €40.5 million.

Dev Sec added:

“Ireland presents considerable investment and development opportunities for us – a market in which we see strengthening demand and opportunities to apply our strategy of creating value through regeneration…”

Shovel, ready!

Previously: The Woodwork

Irish Times: Fund backing McKillen and Ronan plans to invest €25m

hat

When asked why no one wanted to appear on camera she said:
“Because now we’re being called racists which we’re horrified. We’re actually embarrassed about it. We’re certainly not racists, certainly not.”

Context

Meanwhile…

peter

“From his account, it was certainly a peaceful protest and there was no threat issued to him. There isn’t any indication that they sought to intimidate him.
I’m not sure that this can be described as racism in terms of what the intention of the local people was.
You might have had exactly the same reaction if it was somebody from up-country that was moving into an area where local people aren’t able to get houses in the locality that they’ve been brought up in.” NI First Minister Peter Robinson.


‘Locals-only’ protest not racist says first minister (Brendan Hughes, Irish News)

Previously: Orange Diss The New Black

Screen Shot 2014-06-18 at 07.11.56_75603471_racisthgrf

A man from Nigeria has said he is afraid to move into his new Belfast home after he arrived to find five people protesting on the doorstep.

Michael Abiona, 34, was greeted with posters reading “Local Houses 4 Local People” at Glenluce Drive, east Belfast, on Tuesday.

Mr Abiona who has been living in Northern Ireland since 2010 said four women and a man were outside the house.

They asked how he had managed to get the house and whether he was disabled.

Now, he said, he will not move into the Housing Executive property at Knocknagoney because the mother of his son is frightened and will not allow their child to visit the house.

Mr Abiona said he had reported what happened to the police.

Protesters tell man he is not welcome in east Belfast (BBC News NI)

Update:

listen to ‘"I've got to think of safety of my son" – Nigerian man on the east Belfast protest that's left him afraid to move into his new home.’ on Audioboo

Mr Abiona spoke to Lisa McAlister on BBC Radio Ulster’s ‘The Stephen Nolan Show’ this morning.

Meanwhile…

Video – Robinson: East Belfast housing protest ‘not racist’ (Mark Devenport, BBC News NI)

Previously: Ulster Says No

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