Cork councillors slam housing delays as 3,618 on waiting list
Provisional figures show there are 3,618 people in the North Cork area in need of housing and councillors have expressed frustration at the delay in some housing projects coming on stream.
Maurice Manning, Cork County Council’s director of housing, said it was hoped to have 462 houses made available to those on the housing list in that region by the end of the year.
He said these houses would come on stream via a variety of methods including direct build, buying ‘turnkey’ properties from developers, leasing, and refurbishing derelict buildings.
Councillors attending a meeting of the council’s Northern Division in Mallow heard that a six-house scheme at Corrin View, Fermoy, had been put on hold after an objection was made to An Bord Pleanála.
The scheme is proposed to be built by a private developer who aims to sell the properties on to the council.
Fine Gael councillor Noel McCarthy said he was disappointed by this and concerned about the length of time it was taking to start two other housing developments in the town.
He and Fianna Fáil councillor Deirdre O’Brien said that on two occasions start times for a project by the voluntary housing association Respond had been missed.
Respond is planning to build 52 houses at Duntaheen Rd.
It has dragged on for over 12 months,” said Mr McCarthy. “We need to get a definite starting date. It’s frustrating. The waiting list is unreal in Fermoy.
Ms O’Brien said the last start-up date Respond had given was May, yet nothing had happened.
A delay has also been experienced at Crann Ard in Fermoy where a private developer intends to build 46 houses and sell them on to the council.
Mr Manning said “everybody was frustrated by delays” but the council didn’t want to walk away from agreements it had made.
He said in the case of Crann Ard he had been advised the developer has secured a contractor to commence construction and contracts for it are currently being finalised. He said he hoped construction would start next month.
Mr Manning added that Respond had told the county council that it expects to conclude legal/conveyance approvals this month and also start work on the Duntaheen site next month.
On a more positive note Fine Gael councillor John Paul O’Shea said that a lot of progress was being made in refurbishing vacant council houses and thanked council staff for their work.
However, he said he was concerned that a lot of voluntary housing bodies had properties which were idle.
Meanwhile, the Government is preparing to reintroduce the affordable housing scheme, which is designed for people who earn too much to qualify for social housing but not enough to get a mortgage.
The scheme will be targeted at low- to middle-income earners.
Single applicants with a gross income of less than €50,000 and a couple with a joint income of less than €75,000 will qualify.
Fianna Fáil councillor Frank O’Flynn was informed by Mr Manning that while the Government has not yet issued any details to local authorities on the scheme, the council is currently trying to identify suitable sites for such projects.
“They’re an awful lot of people caught in the middle,” said Fine Gael councillor Gerard Murphy.
