Work begins on 15 social housing units in Dungarvan

Construction work has begun on 15 social housing units on the site of the former Ormonde cinema complex in Dungarvan.

The development, by Waterford City and County Council, will provide a mixture of accommodation: three 3-bedroom, nine 2-bedroom and three one-bed units.

Waterford city contractors S&K Carey Ltd builders are responsible for the construction at a cost of €1,663,000.

Funding had been approved by former housing minister Jan O’Sullivan. The construction is expected to take a year to complete.

The cinema had opened in 1947 and closed about 10 years ago. The site was subsequently acquired by the former Dungarvan Town Council for an undisclosed fee.

The council sparked considerable controversy in 2014 when it sanctioned the building’s demolition overnight despite a preservation order on its facade. A council official, at the time, said the demolition had been approved on “health and safety grounds”.

The council, meanwhile, is currently combating a severe housing shortage with the latest figures, from June, indicating 74 singles and 18 families classified as homeless and in emergency accommodation in the region.

The council received 15 housing applications from the Dungarvan-Lismore municipal district in June to bring the total applications for the year thus far to 94. Housing stock in the Dungarvan-Lismore areas stands at 978 units, with nine recently undergoing refurbishment for re-let.

A council spokeswoman described the Ormonde project as “a much needed town centre development that reflects current housing need in terms of unit size, central location close to all town social, community and health facilities.”