Almost 200 council houses planned for Nenagh

Tipperary Co Council has plans in train for 196 new houses in the Nenagh Municipal District.

The four-phase housing construction programme for the district includes 27 new units at Gortlandroe, Nenagh; Puckaun (21); Rialto site, Nenagh (seven); Tyone, Nenagh (67 - in association with the Respond approved housing body); Springfort Meadows, Nenagh (19 turnkey units); New Line Road, Nenagh (10); Rathcabbin (six), Mulcair Manor, Newport (13) and Millersbrook, Nenagh (13).

Discussing the council’s housing programme at the July meeting of Nenagh Municipal District, Cathaoirleach Cllr Fiona Bonfield noted that while the progress could be welcomed, the number of applicants for council housing in the district now stands at 807. “The numbers are still going up,” she remarked, asking how many of those on the list are HAP tenants.

Cllr Ryan O’Meara welcomed the progress but made the point that news of many of Nenagh’s new houses has been known for a long time, yet there is still no sign of them being built. He believed the four-stage process takes too long and called for it to be addressed at national level.

VOIDS

He joined with Cllr Michael O’Meara in calling for faster movement on bringing vacant council houses, or voids, back into use. Cllr O’Meara said there are two houses in Cloughjordan – where there are 36 people on the housing waiting list – that have been vacant for some time.

Cllr Michael O’Meara observed that six new houses planned for Rathcabbin are at design team appointment stage. He queried the timeframe for building these houses.

Housing Officer Eoin Delaney said the design team would be appointed in the coming weeks and a two-year timeframe is envisaged to fully complete the houses. The Cloughjordan voids had been held up over Uisce Éireann connection issues. He said the four-stage process is a structured way of breaking down the housing construction programme and making it easier to follow.

Responding to questions from Cllr Phyll Bugler, Mr Delaney said Tipperary Co Council has received 476 applications to the Croí Cónaithe vacant property refurbishment grant scheme to date. Of these, 330 have been approved in principle. Ten have been rejected or withdrawn.

HOUSING REPAIRS

Cllr Séamie Morris said he has been dealing with tenants waiting five or six months for repairs to be carried out to their houses. They have been told that there is no money for repairs and that they would have to seek help from their community welfare officer.

Cllr Morris wanted to know what percentage of council houses require new doors and windows, and whether the authority has a fully-stocked repair crew. He said there is no point in the council giving grants in situations where people cannot raise anything towards repair costs.

District Engineer Barry Murphy said the council has three carpenters, one plumber and one electrician in the Nenagh Municipal District. The tenant handbook sets out repairs that should be undertaken by the tenant, as opposed to the council. The council does however carry out routine maintenance and does this well, Mr Barry said. Answering Cllr Joe Hannigan, he said the council tends to rely on two or three contractors to carry out works in the district. Further contractors seeking to come on board would need to have the requisite documentation and safety systems in place.

Cllr Hannigan wanted the council to engage with more contractors as a means of getting works done faster. Executive Engineer Kieran Malone said new contractors would still need to approach the council and demonstrate that they are in compliance with all requirements.

HOUSING APPLICANTS

The breakdown of approved housing applicants in Nenagh Municipal District is as follows: Aglish (one applicant), Ardcroney (25), Ballina (69), Ballingarry (10), Borrisokane (61), Cloughjordan (36), Kilcommon (12), Lorrha (three), Nenagh town (469), Newport (53), Portroe (28), Puckaun (15), Rathcabbin (four), Rearcross (four), Riverstown (six), Silvermines (10), Templederry (one).