By Róise Collins

MORE than 500 social housing units are currently under construction at over 20 locations across Donegal, a special plenary meeting of Donegal County Council has heard.

In a presentation to elected members on Monday morning, John Gallagher from the council’s housing section confirmed that 511 housing units are underway.

These are in addition to 248 units that have already been completed, bringing the total number of social housing units delivered or under construction to 759.

Planning permission has also been secured for a further 140 units across the county.

Mr Gallagher described the secured planning as a positive step forward but highlighted that the department’s next major challenge is appointing contractors and progressing the projects to the on-site phase.

He also spoke of the ongoing difficulties in securing essential utilities, such as water connections, for housing developments.

Director of Housing Patsy Lafferty described the update as “a positive message” for those on the county’s housing waiting list.

Cllr Gerry McMonagle also welcomed the news that over 500 homes were currently on site but expressed concern over the slow pace of construction and allocation.

He stressed that with the ongoing homeless crisis and rising cost of living, “this is why we need to get a step on it and deliver the 500 that is there and the 400 in the pipeline.”

Cllr Joy Beard echoed his concerns. She said that while over 500 homes under construction is encouraging, it still falls far short of demand.

“It’s great to see the work that’s happening, there’s no doubt about that,” she said.

“But the simple truth is it’s not nearly enough. Even after every single one of those homes is delivered, we’ll still have a very serious problem and that’s before we even account for new applicants coming into our county.”

“At the current rate of delivery, it would take many years just to clear the existing backlog,” she added.

Meanwhile, a report from Housing Minister James Browne released on Tuesday revealed that local authorities across Ireland delivered less than 20 per cent of their targets for own-build social housing between 2022 and 2024, with Donegal emerging as the worst-performing county in the country.

Donegal County Council had a target of 534 social homes over the two-year period but delivered less than half that figure, completing just 248 units. Of those, 178 were constructed directly by the council.