Cork council looks at moving older tenants into homes near town centres to free up larger houses

Cork County Council would be delighted to get hold of larger three and four-bed units from older people so they could move younger families into them, meeting told

Independent councillor Mary Linehan-Foley said a new council social housing development due to get under way at the old Spinning Wheel site in Youghal town centre would be an ideal move for older tenants living in more elevated homes in the town. Picture: Chani Anderson

Cork County Council plans to start downsizing and ‘downhilling’ elderly tenants whose children left home into smaller houses near town centres so they can more easily access amenities.

Councillors were told of the plan at a meeting of its Southern Division by senior housing directorate official MacDara Ohici in response to a query on a project in her hometown of Youghal by the Mayor of County Cork, Independent councillor Mary Linehan-Foley.