€37m spent buying sites ‘unsuitable’ for housing

Councils spent €37m on sites for social and affordable housing that were later deemed to be "unsuitable for residential development" by a state agency established to help local authorities deal with the fallout from the economic downturn.

Some of the 25 sites in question were found to be in areas that were not zoned for residential development, while others were land-locked or had an illegal halting site or building on the land.

The revelation comes following the Comptroller and Auditor General’s & report on the Land Aggregation Scheme, a “mini Nama” established to relieve local authorities of the burden of loans taken out to develop social and affordable housing prior to the collapse in the property market.