Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This Commencement matter relates to affordable housing in Kinsale. It is a wonderful part of the world that has been blessed in many ways by history and geography. It is the second biggest town in Cork South-West. Its population increased by 13.6% between the two most recent censuses, compared with an average of 8.1% nationally. The population is now almost 6,000 people. It is a significant town, particularly in the context of the size of west Cork.

An affordable housing scheme is very much required in the town. Unfortunately, Kinsale probably has the highest property prices in Munster. It is a premium location. There is great demand for property in the area. We need an affordable housing scheme to be put in place to benefit the people of Kinsale and the surrounding areas. Affordable housing just does not exist in Kinsale. Sites with an existing property that is to be knocked down in order for a new house to be built are being sold for €500,000. That is happening continuously throughout the Kinsale hinterland as a result of the location. It is a unique and beautiful location.

The site in question was bought in 2001.It is where we built the community complex Saile and there has in recent years been a social housing development of 40 houses, but the majority of the site has not been developed since 2001. It is a significant site in the heart of the town that has the potential to deliver more than 112 units of affordable housing for the people of Kinsale and the surrounding area. The scheme is very much needed and wanted in the location but we need movement on the proposal.

I am looking for timelines for when the housing development will be built, how many houses are going to be part of it and, as is always a big issue in towns, what the projected cost will be or how we can evaluate it. Significant schemes have been put in place through Rebuilding Ireland, such as the shared ownership scheme, and we have over recent years changed the model for how to purchase a house. I hope all those schemes can be used, not least in the context of this development of 100-plus houses for the Kinsale area. When we look at developments in County Cork, this is the premier location for trying to get an affordable housing scheme up and running, and it really is a gap in the market. We have in many ways seen a roll-out of social housing throughout the county, in locations from Bandon to Clonakilty and all the way to Bantry, but the lack of an affordable housing scheme of this nature and size is obvious, so we need to move forward with the proposal if we can. Any clarity the Minister of State can give regarding when the potential for these houses can be made realised would be of great benefit to the people of Kinsale.