Tipperary County Council urged to avail of new debt relief to build more houses

Tipperary County Council has been urged by a local councillor to avail of a new State scheme that would allow councils wipe off some of their debts.

The Government announced last week that it was making €100m available to councils to clear debts on condition they develop modular homes for accelerated social housing in the next two years.

Those lands where debts will be covered have to be suitable for the “immediate development” of social housing with construction in 2023 or “no later than 2024”″.

Cllr Seamus Morris has now asked the council to contact the Department and put Streame - or part of it - forward for this scheme.

He also asked the council to see if it can use the modular houses for people that were working or at least people who had come into the council’s new income limits of €30,000 which was due to go through the Dáil this week.

“These are the people who are the hardest pressed as they have seen huge rent increases while being on moderate incomes,” he said.
Cllr Morris pointed out that Streame was a shovel-ready site that was municipal-owned and the debt taken on by the council when buying the site will now be covered by the Department.

The council has already put Streame out to tender for housing development.