Housing at the cutting edge

IT doesn’t look anything like a conventional council estate. It even has solar panels on roofs that top buildings of varied shapes and sizes. It’s more like a housing development of the future.

The €9 million social housing scheme, at Rathass, Tralee, should reduce energy bills by 40% because of its modern, environmentally-friendly design, it was claimed yesterday.

The 64-dwelling scheme, officially opened by Housing and Urban Renewal Minister Noel Ahern, also has gas condensing boilers and draught lobbies to save on fuels costs.