Twenty eight social housing units are to be built in Donegal, it has been announced.
Of the 28 units., 20 are expected to be built in Rockytown, Buncrana, at an estimated cost of €3, 200,000 , while a further eight social housing units have been earmarked for construction in Manorcunningham, at a projected cost of €1, 250,000.
The move was announced earlier today by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Alan Kelly TD., and Paudie Coffey TD., Minister of State for Housing, Planning and Co-ordination of Construction 2020 Strategy, announced a further allocation of funding of €182 million for the delivery of nearly 1,000 additional social housing units.
These most recent approvals follow two large scale announcements to the value of half a billion euros already made by the Ministers for new social housing projects.
This latest announcement is in respect of over 50 new social housing projects that the Ministers have recently approved. They include new construction projects, turnkey projects and a number of town centre developments that will both deliver social housing and improve the urban landscape.
Minister Kelly stated: “I am delighted to announce that we have approved a further 1,000 social housing units across 22 local authorities, at a cost of €182 million. These projects show the range of delivery options we are utilising. We have created a strong pipeline of new local authority-led construction projects, which I have prioritised as a key part of the medium and long-term response to social housing delivery. We have also actively pursued options for fast delivery, such as turnkey developments and large scale acquisitions. These give very early delivery of new homes for those on the waiting list”.
In 2015 the Ministers approved funding for over 1,000 acquisitions of social housing units and the remediation of 2,700 vacant houses and apartments. Alongside over 200 construction projects so far sanctioned for local authorities and approved housing bodies, and the approval of new turnkey projects, the Social Housing Strategy is ensuring a strong range of delivery mechanisms is being used. Since the publication of the Social Housing Strategy, over 400 posts have been sanctioned in local authorities in order to develop a local authority system that is capable of building 10,000 social housing units per year,”
Minister Coffey added: “I am pleased to see the innovation by local authorities to deliver a range of new approaches, from infill projects in towns to larger green field construction projects. We are also approving a number of new construction projects under the Capital Assistance Scheme that will be delivered by Approved Housing Bodies for tenants with special needs. What we have approved is a strong blend of the different type of social housing that our communities need. The scale of approvals to date is required to meet the targets of the Social Housing Strategy, but the quality of new project approvals is also important for the homes we are providing for our citizens.”
Paudie Coffey TD., Minister of State for Housing, Planning and Co-ordination of Construction 2020 Strategy.
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