200 council houses for Nenagh district

Almost 200 houses are in the pipeline for Tipperary Co Council tenants in the Nenagh Municipal District.

They include the completed development of 14 houses in Portroe village, which last week's district meeting heard are not yet ready for occupancy due to a delay with Irish Water. Another development of four houses in Ardcroney is complete and the houses are being allocated. A further 10 houses at Woodview Close in Nenagh are almost finished with a completion timeframe of later this year.

A new plan for 27 units at Gortlandroe, Nenagh, where the council has acquired a house on a large site, was recently announced. The council is also planning to provide 12 units behind the old Rialto/former Sheahans hardware premises at Emmet Place.

Also in the town, the council is planning to provide seven units at a property it acquired at William St. A large development of 67 units is being provided at Tyone in conjunction with the Respond approved housing body. The council's Housing report for June also refers to a turnkey development of 19 homes at Springfort Meadows, for which contracts are being finalised.

Elsewhere, plans are in train for 21 units in Puckane, while another turnkey development of eight houses at Glencree, Newport, is to be completed this year.

Considering the report at the district's June meeting, Cllr John Carroll inquired about the 14 houses in Portroe. He said there is a lot of concern locally and asked about a completion timeframe for the development.

Acting Senior Engineer Kieran Malone said the houses are practically complete. There is still an issue with Irish Water and he could not provide a completion date until this issue is resolved.

Cllr Joe Hannigan said it is disappointing to know that the Portroe houses are finished but cannot yet be occupied. “Irish Water are the bane of my life,” he remarked, a sentiment picked up on by Cllr John Rocky McGrath, who described the utility as “not up to the job”.

Answering questions from Cllr Séamie Morris about the 67 units at Tyone, Mr Malone said these are being provided through the Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF) funding model, in which capital support is provided to AHBs by local authorities. This model has been delayed over the interest rate situation and the council is awaiting clarification on the next step of the Tyone plan.

ARCHITECTS' FEES

Cllr Morris said he had learned through a Freedom of Information request that the council spent €10,500 per house on architects' fees in relation to 36 houses. He questioned this expense, saying the council has its own architect and should be able to deliver houses faster and more cost-effectively than through engaging consultants.

While he described the new houses being built by the council as “spectacular”, Cllr Morris also raised questions over the air-to-water heating systems being provided. These are proving expensive to run and tenants have told him that they would rather have stoves, with which they have more control over their costs.

Mr Malone said the council does a lot of the architectural work itself but does not have the resources or expertise in-house for some of the large developments. Generally, the council's architect provides a masterplan for the consultants to complete the civil and structural elements of. Like builders, Mr Malone said there is a limited number of consultants available and they are in high demand.

Regarding air-to-water heating systems, Mr Malone said the council has been installing these in its houses over the last two-to-three years. It has received very few complaints from tenants. He said the idea of the systems is to leave them on as they require a lot of power to get going again if they are turned off.

HIGHEST GRANT ALLOCATIONS

Several speakers welcomed the allocation of over €3.4 million in private grant funding for disabled persons grants in 2023. The allocation for local authority grants was over €2.1 million, the highest allocation in the country. The scheme has now opened up to applications for both private and local authority grants.

Administrative Officer Shane Grogan said the council tries to prioritise the most needing cases for the grants. A number of applications have been processed and there is an appeals process.

Cllr Hannigan said many people are not aware of the large number of housing schemes and grants that are available. Mr Grogan said the council would in the coming weeks update its website to include a new information feature on Housing For All schemes. It would enable the individual visitor to input their situational details and guide them to the various schemes that are available to them.