Opposition to the sale of house in Rosslare Harbour

SOME councillors are opposed a local authority proposal to sell off a house at Greenore Park in Rosslare Harbour and have called for it to be renovated and allocated to a housing applicant.

Extensive repairs are required on the property and officials in the housing department believe it would be cost prohibitive to keep it as housing stock.

They want to dispose of it on the open market. The house was valued at €55,000 and a purchaser has agreed to buy it for €77,000.

‘I have concerns about selling this house even though we’re getting €77,000 for it’, said Independent councillor Ger Carthy at last week’s meeting of Wexford Municipal Borough. ‘We are here week in week out talking about the need for social housing. I would oppose the sale of this house’.

Sinn Fein councillor Mick Roche seconded Cllr. Carthy’s call for the house to be kept in the ownership of the Council.

A housing official said he was of the opinion that the local authority should sell it. ‘It would take a huge amount of money and a considerable amount of time to put right again’, he said.

Cllr. Carthy said it was unfortunate that a detailed costing had not been presented to the members to show what it would cost to repair.

Deputy Chief Executive Tony Larkin said the open market was usually the best way to achieve the highest price. ‘You can pass this motion or it can go to a full meeting’, he told councillors. On the suggestion of the Mayor, Cllr. Tony Dempsey, it was agreed that more information would be presented to a future meeting.