You can believe your eyes - sites for €8,000 and homes for €95,000

NEW semi’s for €95,000 and building sites for €8,000? It’s all possible through affordable housing with Cork County Council who offer a range of options for first-time buyers throughout the county.

At the moment, the Millbrook Estate scheme in Kanturk is up and running and has generously proportioned semi’s on offer at €95,000.

Buyers who fit the eligibility criteria can get a house and a mortgage from the council for up to 97% of the purchase cost. The rate, at 3.6%, also includes mortgage protection.

This particular scheme is being marketed by Dan Howard of Dooley and Howard and the company are to open a showhouse in the Kanturk scheme next week.

All 20 of these three-bed semi’s come with fireplaces and fitted kitchen and buyers will have to finish the tiling to taste. The ground floor offers a living room of 12’ by 10’ and a kitchen/diner of almost 14’ by 13’ with a separate utility and ground floor loo.

Two of the upstairs bedrooms are doubles and all three rooms share a bathroom. Low maintenance features such as PVC windows and gutters are installed and doors to the front and rear are in teak.

The one drawback is that solid-fuel heating only is installed and new buyers will have to invest for a more modern system.

The Millbrook scheme is just one of many in the pipeline through the Council and costs are kept low through the use of the Council’s existing land banks and subventions from the Department of the Environment, through the Affordable Housing scheme.

House prices for units not yet completed could rise, however, as there have been decreases in subventions paid to the County Council from the Department this year.

At the moment there are 9 sites of a total of 12 in the Deerpark development available in Bandon, and 24 sites on the station road in Blarney have been allocated with prices ranging from €3,000 for tenants who vacate Council houses to €8,000 for those who fit under the affordable category.

Forty houses will become available in Kilmoney, Carrigaline in November, says James Keane, SEO in the Cork hinterland housing department and 28 houses at Maulbaun in Passage West will also be ready by the spring of 04, he adds. His section has also allocated 5 serviced sites at Harbour View, Kilbrittain.

While buyers have to take out Council loans for ready-built properties, site purchasers have the option of shopping around for their mortgage. Likewise, while the Council offers planning guidelines for self-build houses, buyers have the freedom to build what they want within those parameters.

In North Cork, there are approx 51 serviced sites being developed and these will be offered before year end, says June Whyte of the North Cork housing office. Affordable housing schemes are also in progress in Fermoy, Millstreet and Dromahane. These will offer 92 new housing units for qualified applicants.

Meanwhile, as Part V of the planning act finally kicks in, there is expected to be a number of new houses and sites available throughout the county. Currently under survey is the Commogue Marsh scheme in Kinsale and three houses have been confirmed at Curra, Riverstick.