Maximising sites and sewerage facilities is key to housing crisis
FOLLOWING the announcement of 28 social houses for Rosbercon, councillors were informed plans are progressing at pace to build a new estate in Hewittsland, but concerns were raised that sites in New Ross are not being used.
Senior Housing Officer Padraig O’Gorman said Wexford County Council has exceeded its target to build social houses by around 50 per cent, with a new 12 home estate in Danescastle built, along with two houses in Castlemoyle, New Ross. ‘18 houses in Taghmon are out for tender. A scheme for 28 houses in Rosbercon has been developed on land we bought last year to develop the greenway to Waterford. Consultants will be appointed in the next month.’
Aggregated lands are being developed, he said, with a housing body expressing strong interest in building in Hewittsland. ‘I would expect that there would be some application there. I can almost say with certainty that there will be something on site in Hewittsland,’ he said.
A large parcel of land behind Woodview Drive in Adamstown is also ideal for development for social housing, Mr O’Gorman said, before qualifying his remark by saying there are no services for an estate. There are also plans for nine accommodation units in Ballyhack.
Mr O’Gorman said 30 houses have been leased and repaired across the county, adding that many houses are not suitable to be made habitable. ‘We have had 150 inspections across the county and many are not suitable either because they are too far gone or we can’t track down the owners. There are a lot of vacant properties but it’s not just as easy as turning them into social housing overnight. About one in five won’t get there.’
Acknowledging that there have been staff changes in the housing department, Mr O’Gorman assured councillors that a housing officer is about to be appointed to New Ross. ‘We have had a temporary issue in New Ross around the housing officer. I have spoken to our head of personnel this week and I hope to get an additional housing office sorted in the next couple of days.’
Cllr Willie Fitzharris said the county is in the grip of a housing crisis. ‘I don’t accept that we don’t have any sewerage for houses. Can any pressure be brought to bear on Irish Water.’
‘It’s a good point, Mr O’Gorman said. ‘ There’s no point in us acquiring any lands unless there are services. In Adamstown we have a state-ofthe-art vocational school crying out for additional numbers. We have a demand in that area for a 16 to 20 housing scheme which would be very sustainable but unfortunately, with the lack of services, there is no point in progressing anything.’
Cllr Larry O’Brien said villages are dying because of a lack of investment. He said, along with councillors Pip Breen, Oliver Walsh and council officials, they managed to include a request for funding into the 2040 National Development Plan.
District director Eamonn Hore said the council has highlighted the problem of a lack of sewerage to villages to Irish Water. ‘We know what the capacities are in our villages but there is very little in any of our rural schemes. Duncannon, Arthurstown, Ballyhack are going through the Irish Water process, which is very slow. They are due to come on stream in 2021. We are heaping as much pressure as we can on Irish Water. The problem is the funding from them and every council is having a similar problem so it’s difficult, but we are doing our absolute best.’
Cllr Sheehan said there are issues with filling vacant ongoing properties in New Ross.
‘I don’t see a lot of people moving into the apartments at Rivergate and there are still 16 places in the Mercy Convent. It appears housing bodies have done nothing with old stock and seem to be intent on building new houses.’
Calling for a walk in appointments system in the housing section in New Ross, Cllr Sheehan said it is unacceptable that New Ross is the only district office where tenants can’t walk in off the street and be seen. ‘I don’t think it’s fair. In fact, it’s damn wrong. We are getting temps coming in and going out and best of luck getting a social worker. I think we are being let down by the executive.’
Cllr Michael Whelan suggested removing Adamstown from the list of villages likely to get social housing. ‘It’s so far down the road we shouldn’t even mention it,’ which Mr O’Gorman agreed with. Cllr Whelan said there will be no more developments in Ballyhack, Duncannon or Arthurstown due to the lack of sewerage.
Senior Executive Water services engineer Dan McCartan said he would raise the need for sewerage in Adamstown at a meeting with Irish Water officials at County Hall. Cllr Anthony Connick also called for a housing officer to be based in New Ross. ‘We have to have someone permanent during the day and someone who will work with us. Some of us have to work during the day. We need attention and we’re being ignored. I am getting it in the neck every day and I can only take so much of it.’
He said four houses were due to be built on a site in New Ross town centre in the Bullawn, but only one was built. ‘I spoke to the Director of Housing about it. It (the site) is an environmental hazard as there is nothing only rubbish, which has been throw over a 4ft fence.’
Mr O’Gorman said a new appointments based system for all offices across the county is being rolled out. He said additional staffing resources will be provided to New Ross in the coming weeks if there is a backlog. ‘An appointments system is coming in with the new customer service system.’
He said the council aim to maximise land use, referring to the site in the Bullawn. Cllr Sheehan said it is unacceptable that New Ross tenants have to contend with the system.
Cllr Connick said: ‘ The ground was prepared for the four houses. It’s crazy to thin that we don’t have sites in the town. We have space for four houses we should put in four houses for four families.’
Mr O’Gorman said he will look at the site.
He said two refugee families and four families from Kilkenny and from County Wexford will be housed in Castlehyde estate in Millands, Rosbercon.
Cllr Larry O’Brien welcomed news of the appointment of a housing officer.