Affordable homes on offer for €156,000

SITES from as low as €12,000 and family homes, from €156,000 are on offer in north Cork.

But affordable housing, it appears, may not be so desirable for some home-seekers.

Unbelievably, Cork County Council has made a public appeal for prospective home owners and those planning to build to contact the local authority.

In some cases, the knockdown prices on houses and sites are up to 32% cheaper than current market value.

The council said that while public interest in the government-backed affordable housing scheme was improving, demand was well below expectations.

Yesterday, officials in the council’s northern division appealed for prospective applicants to come forward.

They outlined the various goodies on offer.

The prices will no doubt make some hard-pressed mortgage holders green with envy.

To qualify for the scheme a single applicant’s income must not exceed €40,000 annually or, in a two-income household the principal breadwinner’s salary — multiplied by 2.5 along with the second earner’s salary— must not top €100,000.

For those that qualify, there’s plenty of houses on offer.

The council is seeking applications for 68 houses in 11 different locations in north Cork.

For example, nine houses are up for grabs in Kanturk, with a price tag of €156,000. There are 11 in the picturesque village of Bweeng at €177,000 each and 12 in Charleville, which can be snapped up for a very attractive €170,000 each.

Just down the road in Buttevant there are 14 houses at €165,000.

Meanwhile, the local authority is also making sites available under the affordable scheme.

Four sites at Cullen and five at Knocknagree are going for €15,000 each. Three at Freemount are priced at €15,400 each and three sites at Ballydesmond are the cheapest at €12,000.

Cllr Liam O’Doherty also claimed there were still 21 affordable houses not yet occupied in Mitchelstown.

“It’s amazing we haven’t more demand for them but, at least, the scheme seems to be taking off a bit,” he said.

Cllr Frank O’Flynn said there were areas in north Cork where no affordable houses had come on stream, and, as such, some communities were losing out.

He believed it was time the county council sat down with developers to discuss enhancing the number of affordable houses being built, especially as builders are suffering from the recession.

Assistant county manager Tim Lucey said the council was hoping to provide additional affordable houses at Uplands in Fermoy.

Mr Lucey added that the county council was, in the near future, also looking at providing more affordable sites.