Council told to get its houses in order

Efforts to find suitable social housing for some 737 approved applicants on Cavan County Council’s waiting list were given a boost this week with news that 14 new units are to be constructed in Ballyjamesduff.
It brings to around 77 the number of new units to be delivered at locations across the county.
The announcement comes following a lengthy debate at the November meeting of Cavan County Council on the issue at which the scale of the shortfall in social housing in the county was revealed. Sinn Féin’s Noel Connell and Daniel Downey and Fine Gael’s Peter McVitty had put the issue on the agenda.
With the greatest demand for local authority housing in the Cavan Town area, Cllr Peter McVitty expressed his frustration at the number of houses in the county town “closed up” at present.
Such properties had compounded problems in some areas, including a rise in anti-social behaviour and flytipping.

It was, Cllr McVitty fumed, “very unfair” on adjacent homeowners who maintained their properties.

He was informed by Director of Services for Housing, Eoin Doyle, that there are 27 houses vacant in the Cavan Town area, 10 of which are currently under repair, and nine more with a view to being let “imminently”.
Councillors were further informed that investments in social housing in the county at present include eight new units in Mullagh, costing €1.2 million; with 22 more properties acquired, and 25 others now at Stage 2 Planning. In recent times, the council has pushed through significant investments, delivering four three-bed terraced houses, costing €623,236, at Kilnaglare, Butlersbridge; and a further four three-bed semi-detached houses, costing €1,839,544, due to be completed at Woodlands, Ballyhaise.

St Bridget’s revamp

The council also outlined how a feasibility study is being carried out on the redevelopment of one of Cavan Town’s oldest estates.
The local authority hopes to deliver a major revamp of St Bridget’s Terrace, a project that could cost hundreds of thousands of euros to complete. Mr Doyle explained that six houses in the area are vacant - four of which are, at present, not fit for habitation. The local authority owns 13 houses in total in St Bridget’s Terrace and is in the process of attempting to purchase one other to follow through with overarching plans to redesign and landscape the area.
“It was a development of its time,” Mr Doyle said of the St Bridget’s development, and he said the Council would be “hopeful” of attaining the necessary funding for the project.

Repossessions

Cllr Connell, meanwhile, called on Cavan County Council to carry out an audit on all repossessed houses by the banks in the county, with particular reference to the Ballyjamesduff Municipal District area, with a view to purchasing them in order to alleviate the social housing shortage.
His party colleague Cllr Downey asked that the council provide a full list of all properties under ownership of the local authority, including recently purchased sites and identify any sites that may provide potential public housing projects to tackle the numbers on the housing list.

Turnkey proposals

Separately, Mr Doyle said that the local authority was still on the look out for other “turnkey proposals”, which they could acquire and add to its housing stock, which now totals almost 2,000 units.
Mr Doyle said there was a “number of proposals being assessed” on that front, however any such deals would need to meet with Departmental approval. As for the a previous attempt to secure land banks around the county for the development of social housing, Mr Doyle admitted that interest had been “limited”. However, he said that the council is prepared to re-advertise the scheme.
“Ideally what we’re looking at is land capable of facilitating schemes of between 20 to 30 houses,” he said.
Mr Doyle added the council has an “open door” policy to any prospective development.