Cork to get nearly 3,200 new social and affordable homes

More than €578m earmarked for a three-year capital building programme to deliver 3,198 new homes across the county

New social and affordable homes are to be provided, helping to cut lengthy housing waiting lists.

Cork County Council plans to provide nearly 3,200 new social and affordable homes in the county over the next three years, together with a scheme of "discounted houses" for people living in high-rent pressure zones.

The new accommodation, which will also include cooperation with voluntary housing bodies, will cover nearly every town and village and will help cut lengthy housing waiting lists.

Maurice Manning, head of the council’s housing directorate, said more than €578m has been earmarked for a three-year capital building programme to deliver 3,198 new homes.

Carrigaline has been chosen for the first discounted rental houses (cost rental construction scheme) in the county, as rents in the popular commuter town have skyrocketed in recent years.

Mr Manning said the €17.8m cost rental scheme in Kilnagleary will include around 60 houses and tenants will pay the council a rent which is approximately 25% less than the private rental rate in the area. He said the council plans to recover the cost of the housing from tenants over a 40-year period.

There are also plans for major affordable housing schemes in other areas. These schemes, costing in the region of €86m, are designed for people who earn too much to qualify for social housing but too little to get a mortgage. It will cost the council approximately €300,000 to build each of these houses.

Affordable homes

They will be built in Carrigaline, Mallow, Clonakilty, and Kinsale. Mallow will get an additional 229 affordable homes, plus 29 social houses. Kinsale will get 112 affordable and 16 social homes, Midleton will get 80 affordable homes, and Clonakilty 67 affordable houses and three social ones.

The county council also intends to buy 202 developer-built homes for new tenants: 34 will be acquired in Bantry, 58 in Carrigaline, 13 in Killavullen, and 97 in Fermoy, 20 of which will be allocated to those eligible for the affordable homes scheme.

It will also seek to buy second-hand homes from owners in a number of areas where it is short of council houses.

In addition, the council is using its own labour to build 30 new social housing schemes at a cost of €69m in Crosshaven, Coachford, Macroom, Doneraile, Ballydehob, Kanturk, and Whitegate.

The council has also set aside a total of €38m to upgrade older council houses and make them more energy efficient.