Concerns for future of Ardmore after housing scheme blocked

Permission was granted to housing body last September to construct 31 homes on a council-owned 1.47 hectare site in the West Waterford village

The situation brings renewed focus to Ardmore’s rapidly changing demographic, in which younger generations are leaving the village. Picture: Dan Linehan

Plans for a social and affordable housing development in the West Waterford village of Ardmore have suffered a setback after the Department of Housing decided the scheme’s costs were too high to subsidise.

Dublin-based Ó Cualann Cohousing Alliance received permission last September to construct 31 homes on a council-owned 1.47 hectare site at Farrangarret, at the village’s perimeter.

The hillside site is owned by Waterford City and County Council and the scheme was a joint venture between Ó Cualann, the council and the local Ardmore Grange Housing Group.

Following the department’s refusal to consolidate the costs, the council cancelled Ó Cualann’s participation in favour of developing the site in-house.

A council spokesperson said it “intends proceeding with the delivery of social and affordable housing at the site” but is “not in a position to set out any timelines at present”.

Ó Cualann chief executive Hugh Brennan said the Alliance was “very disappointed”, having spent five years working with the local community, including initial problems with water services.

Mr Brennan said inflation and various on-site “abnormals”, understood to include knotweed, a major power cable and ongoing water issues contributed to the costs.

He added, however, that “no specific item has been queried” nor had his agency received anything in writing from any quarter, other than an email from the council.

“I wrote back that I needed to talk to them as we need a detailed explanation as to where we are,” he said.

Mr Brennan accepted the council may wish to go it alone, “provided we are not expected to bear any losses” and also hopes the council adheres to the present planning permission rather than submit a new application.

Ardmore Grange Housing Group spokesman Dick Lincoln estimates over €250,000, including €30,000 raised by his group, has been spent on pre-construction works.

Expressing regret at Ó Cualann’s exclusion, he said “the economic model of the department paying a subsidy based on a 5% developer fee, free site and free planning, is broken”.

Mr Lincoln now wants the local authority’s stated commitment “passed as a motion” at council level.

The situation brings renewed focus to Ardmore’s rapidly changing demographic, in which younger generations are leaving the village.

The decline is aggravated by a preponderance of more than 200 holiday homes, many of them high-end and almost all of which remain uninhabited for over 80% of the year.

Of 15 houses built between 2017 and 2022, “only one was by a local", Mr Lincoln said.

“The village can no longer field a senior GAA team, has just one shop, one on-street pub open full-time and we may lose a teacher in the school next year. We need housing to enable people to stay."