No developer prepared to build in Sligo: Mayor
THE lack of private development in Sligo was a matter of “grave concern”, Sligo Municipal District’s September meeting heard.
Mayor of Sligo Municipal District, Councillor Hubert Keaney said he had “grave concerns that there are no developers in Sligo prepared to build.”
“There are people buying up houses. These people have the money to buy the sites but are not prepared to start anything,” he said.
“This is not a political thing. It’s the system that we have in place that’s stopping people delivering on projects.”
“We have a huge problem getting projects off the ground,” he said, adding that the processes were “unworkable” in relation to decision-making.
He was agreeing with comments made earlier by Council Chief Executive Ciarán Hayes.
He told members that there were only two housing estates being built in the county right now, and none in Sligo town, apart from the Council’s Fr O’Flanagan Terrace development.
“To have a properly func- tioning housing market you need all sectors operating appropriately.”
“Part of the solution is the construction of new houses. It’s is not the only solution, but it is part of it,” said Mr Hayes.
“The difficulties in Dublin, Cork and other big cities are not being felt in Sligo.
“We have a Housing Department moving to bring voids (vacant houses) back into use.
“We’ve been using up our latent supply,” he said.
He said the council had also bought houses in the last year or two, all of which allowed them to deal with the housing waiting list.
There are currently 612 families on the housing waiting list, with another 396 approved for Housing Assistance Payments (HAP).
Mr Hayes warned that there needed to be ongoing growth in both the private and public sector.
“The solution is not solely social housing,” he said. “There is no overnight fix. It is very important that the private sector is also active in the housing sector.