'Disappointing' number of new affordable homes for Laois
After over a decade of offering no Laois homes under the low cost Affordable Homes scheme, the scheme has restarted in Laois, but the low number for 2023 has disappointed councillors.
Laois County Council has set the bar at selling ten affordable homes in 2023, to people and families on low incomes.
Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald believes it should be higher.
"Our ambition is too low at ten houses for 2023. I'm very disappointed. In Westmeath and in Offaly they have more than that but we have a bigger population than Offaly. It should be more ambitious. People out there are really desperate to get on this scheme," she said.
The affordable homes will be in new privately built housing estates. The developer must provide one home in every ten (10%) at a discount to people who are approved by the council under the Affordable Purchase Scheme. The council pays for the rest of the house price and then retains an interest in the property unless the buyer buys them out.
To qualify, applicants must not have enough income or savings to get a mortgage on their own.
Another 10% of the new houses in private estates must be given to Laois County Council for social housing tenants, under the Part V agreement.