CONSTRUCTION CLOSURE IS A HUGE BLOW FOR GOREY
NON-ESSENTIAL building sites were shut down on Friday in line with increased Level 5 restrictions introduced by the government on Wednesday, something Paddy Redmond of Redmond Construction described as a ‘ huge blow’.
Although essential work like that of health and social housing continues, Mr Redmond said that with four large sites closed in Wexford and Wicklow, more than 100 workers now face into the reality of being unemployed.
‘We’re were only back a week after Christmas and we’ve had to close again, so there’s huge disappointment with construction workers and sub-contractors. We would have liked if the government had made a decision over Christmas, not to have started and then close down again for another possible month or so.
‘It’s going to have a huge impact on potential purchasers and the contracts we have signed already, in particular where there are mortgages approved and there’s a time line there on delivery. People might now have to go outside their mortgage dates and have to reapply, and we’ll be gone off site for possibly two months. We’re not going to have the houses ready and it’ll have an impact on the delivery of houses, that’s the biggest problem for the customers. In some cases they might find it difficult to get their letter of loan offer renewed,’ he said.
He said that it’s very difficult
for all of the working families in the construction industry.
‘ The builders were managing their sites quite well and we had no cases of Covid-19 on our sites. Most people were sensible enough and I feel that with more discussion with the industry, it’s a sector that could have been left open.
‘Health and safety is more important of course, but closing construction when we’re in such a dire need for housing at the moment with the shortage, it’s something that should have been looked at a little bit better.
‘Within a few days the decision was made and there just wasn’t enough dialogue in relation to what we could do to keep construction going. We could have come up with some strategy to minimise the people on sites and keep sites operational even if not at full capacity’.
Still working on social housing as well as affordable housing that’s close to completion with minima people on site, Mr Redmond said that it is the projects further down the line that should be progressing that will cause the issues going forward.
THE DECISION WAS MADE AND THERE WASN’T ENOUGH DIALOGUE IN RELATION TO WHAT WE COULD DO TO KEEP CONSTRUCTION GOING