Nenagh councillor laments being ruled from 'Big Smoke' when it comes to local housing

There are 189 houses in various stages of construction or going through the house construction system, Nenagh Municipal District councillors were informed at their November meeting.

The houses are at Gortlandroe, 27; Puckaun, 21; Rialto site, Nenagh, 12; William Street, Nenagh, 7; Woodview Close, Nenagh, 10; Portroe, 14; Ardcroney, 4; Tyone, Nenagh, 67; Springford Meadows, Nenagh, 19; Glencree, Newport, 8.

However, there are 772 approved applicants on the Council’s housing list, with the majority, 460, in Nenagh; 63 in Ballina; Borrisokane, 53; Newport, 52; Cloughjordan, 33; Portroe, 31.

There is a surprisingly high number - 23 - on the housing list for the village of Ardcroney, while there are zero applications in Templederry.

There are only 21 houses vacant in the district, with four available for letting, 16 requiring minor repairs and one needing major refurbishment.

The Council has received 58 housing loan applications, with just 15 approved on loans totaling €1,314,750.

Cllr Seamus Morris said that it was great to see the 67 houses at Tyone back on the Council’s list.

He said that the housing report put before the Council bore “no reality” to what was the real story as it did not include notices to quit numbers.

“Landlords are just getting out of the game because of the increase in home loan rates being forced on them by the European Central Bank,” he said. “One or two tenants are getting notices to quit every day. It’s a crisis.”

Cllr Fiona Bonfield wanted to know how many of the 772 approved housing applicants were on HAP.

She also queried how, when houses were being built, that the application list was not decreasing.

Cllr Michael O’Meara asked if the Council could get extra funding to bring more voids back into the system.

Cllr Joe Hannigan said there was a need to make the public aware of the CROÍ scheme under which applicants hopring to bring houses back could avail of grants up to €70,000.

“The supports are out there,” he said.

In relation to housing loans, both Cllr Bonfied and Cllr Hannigan said that getting a housing loan through the Council was “more difficult than the banks”

“While we can’t exclude Dublin, it is such a pity we are ruled by the Big Smoke,” said district Cathaoirleach Cllr John “Rocky” McGrath. “I’d like to see less focus on Dublin.”

Housing officer Shane O’Dwyer told councillors that the Council has submitted an application for extra funding for voids.

“We have had positive feedback, but no written confirmation. We are ready to start as soon as we get funding, hopefully by the end of the year,” he said.

He said that notices to quit can be included in future in the housing report.

However, he didn’t have a breakdown on HAP numbers on the approved list.

Mr O’Dwyer explained to Cllr Bonfield that, despite the increase in the number of houses, this was being counteracted by a rise in the number of applicants and, so, the list was remaining static.