Forty-six new houses to be built in the Arklow district
ARKLOW is to receive 44 new social housing units and Aughrim is to receive two new units.
The news comes as the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government has announced that a number of projects throughout the county have receive Stage 1 approval under the Local Authority Housing Capital Programme.
The most significant development in Arklow will be 37 houses over two phases (17 and 20) at Emoclew Road costing in excess of €6 million.
Noonan Brothers will constuct the properties which will be connected to an existing sewage treatment plant in the area.
Also, in Arklow town, plans are afoot to convert the old Arklow Library building on St Mary’s Road into seven apartments at a cost of €743,654 while the Aughrim homes will be built at Chapel Lane, costing €375,959.
Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council, Cllr Pat Fitzgerald said that the news will certainly ‘give some hope to those on the housing list’.
‘ This is indeed very welcome news for the Arklow area, where I live and the wider county. It is a small step towards alleviating the ever growing housing list and it will give some hope to those people who are waiting for a local authority house. Some people have been on the list for 12 years,’ he said.
Cllr Fitzgerald said that he hopes the work will commence on Emoclew Road, next year. It has already received planning approval.
He outlined that the works at the old library must go out to tender.
‘I would like to pay tribute to the housing department staff and to the management of Wicklow County Council for their perseverence with this and for all the work they did to bring this about. In a time where there is hardly a single property to rent in the town, this is very welcome indeed and I look forward to seeing families allocated their new homes as soon as possible,’ he said.