Sinn Féin Councillor Conor D. McGuinness has heavily criticised the decision by Minister Darragh O’Brien to refuse funding for the Affordable and Social housing scheme for Ardmore. He called on Fianna Fáil representatives locally to ‘come clean’ about what has caused the scheme to stall, and said that delivery of housing for local people is the only solution to keep Ardmore alive.
Speaking following a public meeting in the town McGuinness said:
“There is huge anger, frustration, disappointment and sadness in Ardmore over the failure to deliver homes for local people, and in particular young families from the area who want to raise a family in the town.
“Last year planning permission was granted to develop an estate of affordable and social homes following much hard work by a local group. Their primary motivation was to provide homes for families from the area in order to keep Ardmore alive.
“House prices have increased to an outrageous level, and 60% of houses in the town are believed to be holiday homes or short-term lets. It is nearly two decades since a council house was last built in Ardmore, and a generation of young people from the area are effectively locked out of their hometown.
“This situation hasn’t happened all of a sudden, it has been developing over decades and one has to wonder who allowed it to happen and why. Successive governments and their cheerleaders at council level have a lot to answer for.
“Fianna Fáil in particular have to come clean about why the present scheme has stalled. Claims made at the public meeting that it was his officials and not the Minister that halted the scheme were met with laughter from those in attendance.
“The fact is that there are abnormal costs of €3.4 million associated with making the site ready for building to take place. This cost arises due to bad planning decisions going back over years. Without an investment from the Minister this additional cost would make the houses unaffordable, thereby undermining the objectives of the project. Interestingly, the same Minister has given subventions of a similar order to similar developments in Dublin, so it appears that the issue is one of political will.
“Waterford City and County Council has undertaken to resurrect this project but my fear is that the same issue over ‘abnormal costs’ will continue to hold it back. We need a clear and unambiguous political commitment from the minister and from Fianna Fáil locally that this project will go ahead. Their support has been at best lukewarm over recent years and it is time they put the public interest first.”
ENDS
Conor D. McGuinness TD 