Written answers
Wednesday, 4 October 2017
Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government
Social and Affordable Housing Provision
Tony McLoughlin (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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224. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the reason it is taking Sligo County Council over two and half years to advance the proposed 20 unit housing development at Carrowbunnaun, Strandhill, County Sligo to beyond stage 1 of development; the further reason the other housing developments planned for County Sligo are also developing slowly; if funding and resources are the reason for this slow pace; his plans to address this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42008/17]
Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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Sligo County Council has an ambitious pipeline of construction projects in development to meet the social housing needs of the county. Details of these projects are available at the following link: http://rebuildingireland.ie/news/social-housing-schemes-2017/.
The timing and delivery of these projects is a matter in the first place for Sligo County Council. I understand from the Council that the project at Carrowbunaun faces a number of challenges in relation to negotiations with third parties, site access, road alignment and waste water infrastructure, all of which have impacted on the project's advancement. I understand that the Councillors have been briefed by officials on these issues. There is no question in relation to my Department's funding support for this or other projects; all costs incurred as the project is advanced through design and planning, and onto construction, can and will be met as soon as they arise and I am keen that the project progresses as speedily as possible.
While the project at Carrowbunaun faces a number of challenges, I understand that Sligo County Council is working on additional construction proposals to further strengthen their delivery pipeline, as well as taking proactive steps to deliver social housing through other initiatives to address its housing need. In 2016 and to date in 2017, around 100 vacant social homes have been returned to productive use by Sligo County Council and 48 new social homes have been acquired. Additional staffing resources were approved in 2016 for Sligo County Council’s Housing Unit to accelerate delivery of their social housing and regeneration programmes.
In relation to addressing project delays, I recently announced a number of outcomes arising from the first phase of my review of Rebuilding Ireland. These include a commitment that Minister of State English will lead a new delivery team in my Department to work with local authorities and approved housing bodies. I anticipate this team will focus in on accelerating social housing construction projects to ensure that, notwithstanding the genuine challenges that arise with construction projects of all types, progress is made to ensure delivery as quickly as possible.
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