Housing sites available in Nenagh
Local councillor Séamie Morris has written to elected representatives about the availability of sites for housing in Nenagh.
He made the point that there are two vacant State-owned sites in Nenagh, which Cllr Morris said are available for affordable or cost rental projects if they were put before the Land Development Agency (LDA).
“The military barracks site in Nenagh is owned by the Department of Defence, who have been carrying out a title search with a view to making the site available for public use,” Cllr Morris wrote. “There are dedicated EU funding streams for retuning old military barracks sites for public use and I have no problem with the site being mixed use including a military museum and possibly a retirement village, which could free up houses elsewhere.
“The municipal-owned site at Stereame is a mystery to me, as it is a shovel-ready project for housing, which I have failed to get the LDA interested in, even though it's one of the best sites in the country in terms of being shovel-ready.
“Nenagh is making the news in terms of job creation and State funding in terms of facilities but we are in danger of coming to a standstill in terms of a severe lack of housing. It's beyond me how our strategists can continue to bring employment into the town without making the best use of our own landbanks for housing.
“I have already proposed a 'Vienna'-type housing model for Stereame, which could provide hundreds of cost rental houses for our young people, who are facing a very uncertain future by being squeezed out of the market by speculators, who are driving the price of houses out of their reach.
“We also have to make provision for our young professional people, who had planned to live in cities but now post-Covid Ireland has changed that narrative with some of them now being able to work remotely.
“All in all, it is vital that you through your good offices work with the State bodies to make these two sites (one shovel-ready) available for housing.
“I know that the MA is trying to put the Stereame site up for competitive tender but the first attempt didn't get one offer and the second one, if successful (doubtful), will not provide affordable houses for our young working families.
“I look forward to hearing from you on this,” Cllr Morris concluded.