Nearly 80 Laois homes for council housing cost at least €14 million
50 occupied by Carlow people
New houses on the Laois Carlow border in Graiguecullen were snapped up in three different lots in 2021 at a net combined price of nearly €14 million.
Figures published on the Residential Property Price Register Graigue na hAbhain show that the sale of houses numbered 1 to 20 went through on March 12 last for €3,591,666.96.
The sale of 21 to 42 was confirmed on June 11 at a price of €3,828,193.83.
The sale of the final tranche of homes was finalised on December 10 2021 when house numbers 43-77 were registered at selling for €6,408,333.04.
While the total prices for all 77 homes totals some €13.8 million, the cost to the purchaser is likely to be millions higher since all the prices were registered without VAT.
The estate is located on the Ballickmoyler Road is understood to be in the ownership of a voluntary housing body which provides homes to people on local authority housing lists.
Laois County Councillors objected at least 50 of the new homes going to people on Carlow County Council's housing list. Portarlington Graiguecullen Municipal District councillors claimed in 2021 that a similar issue had emerged in another estate in Graiguecullen.
Carlow coucillors have argued that there is insufficient public land in Carlow to meet the town's housing need.
Graiguecullen has grown dramatically in the past two decades with the vast majority of the residential and commercial growth facilitated in the border town by the Laois local authority.