Arklow again ignored in house repair funds

June 1989

ARKLOW Urban Council were raging this week at being passed over once again for Departmental funding under the local authority housing refurbishment programme.

The Arklow council could have been out in the cold since the scheme was first launched in 1985, and despite making the necessary applications have not even secured a preliminary pilot scheme under th eprogramme to upgrade and improve low cost and pre-1940s housing.

And this week there was further cause for gnashing of teeth, as the Minister for Environment announced a multi-million pound nationwide package which included £600,000 for Bray UDC, £320,000 for Wicklow County Council to be spent on renovations to Kindlestown Park, Greystones, and Rockfield Park, Kilmacanogue and an alocation of £120,000 to Wicklow Urban Council.

Within 24 hours of the annoucement the Arklow council was making representations to the Minister on the matter and were declaring angrily this week that ‘we’re not going to sit idly by’.

Arklow Town Clerk Tom Byrne said thtat he could not understand why the town remained the only authority in the county not to receive fundings for these works.

‘While we mightn’t have any of the cheap 1960s flates and housing complexes which qualify for funding, there are quite a number of the pre-1940s houses around the town in need of repair,’ he said.

Urban Council chairman Tom Clandillon said that he would not stand idly by as Arklow was slammed yet again by the Department and that ‘we will make one hell of a fuss if we find that out case for funding was as strong as any other local authority which benefitted.

Amongst the areas which could benefit under the scheme are local authority properties at Mellows Avenue, Rory O’Connor Placem St Bridget’s Terrace, St Patrick’s Terrace and Abbey Terrace.