Derelict house plan to be drawn up by the council
WEXFORD County Council’s housing department are working on tackling the issue of derelict houses in the town according to Director of Services Tony Larkin.
At the recent Wexford Borough District Council meeting, Cllr Davy Hynes brought up the issue of vacant houses, saying that it was unacceptable to leave them empty ‘at a time when so many people are looking for a place to live’. Mr Larkin acknowledged the issue and said that the housing and planning department are currently drawing up plans to tackle it. However, he said that resolving it would take time.
‘It isn’t the case that we can just take over a property,’ he explained.
‘We are working on eight or nine compulsory purchases to help to address the housing crisis. Each scheme is quite complex. We need to have the resources for it to be able to pay compensation to the owner.’
Cllr Deirdre Wadding later chimed in on the issue of the housing crisis, saying that plans to tackle it are ‘moving too slowly.
‘It is really urgent,’ said Cllr Wadding, who said she was by no means being critical of the council’s own housing department. ‘As a council, we should be putting more pressure on government to start taking it very seriously.’
‘If we are not here for the people we represent, what are we here for?’
Cllr Jim Moore agreed that the problem is ‘ hugely important’ but said that resolving the issues will take time.
‘We need to send a realistic message to people,’ he said.