Cllrs attack slow delivery of social housing in North Tipp

The Councillors of Nenagh Municipal District attacked the slow delivery of social housing in North Tipp during their recent meeting.

Cllr Michael O'Meara said there are several Voids in Rathcabbin and Cloughjordan. “When will they get up and running?” he inquired.

Cllr Ryan O'Meara pointed out that the Council's social housing delivery process is too cumbersome and takes too long to deliver. He said this slowness is exacerbating the Housing Crisis and the problem of insufficient social housing. “For example, there have been two Voids in Cloughjordan for a very long time. People have been on to me for months about those two houses. There are 30+ people on the housing waiting list in Cloughjordan.”

A Council official from the housing section told Cllr O'Meara there is an Uisce Éireann water connection problem regarding the two Voids in Cloughjordan. He added that a Void in Rathcabbin will be finished in a couple of months time and ready for social housing tenants. “Regarding the proposed housing scheme in Rathcabbin,” the official continued, “a design team has been chosen and it will be a two year timeframe from start to finish.” Replying to the Councillors' criticism of the slow, four stage planning and construction process he pointed out that, “The four planning stages are very necessary and practical, when it comes to going from a greenfield site to the building of the houses.” He added that two Voids in Lorrha are being renovated at the moment. “We have three carpenters, a plumber and an electrician looking after the repairs in the Voids throughout the Municipal District.”

“People have been on to me for the last 5 to 6 months looking for repairs to their social houses but still nothing has been done," remarked Cllr Morris. "Sometimes the tenants are being told that the money isn't there for the repairs.” He added that the housing estate beside the derelict Military Barracks in Nenagh Town is overgrown with undergrowth spilling over from the Barracks site.

The councillors pointed out as well that the grass is not being cut in a number of housing estates. Cllr Morris commented that “When people started paying Property Tax they expected that their grass would be cut.” Cllr Phyll Bugler said the cost of cutting grass is nearly a thousand Euros a year in some housing estates “and the grant is only €300.”

Cllr Louise Morgan-Walsh remarked that “the cost of living is very high and some people don't have the money for extra expenses such as this.”