This article is from page 20 of the 2006-11-28 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 20 JPG
CLARE County Council has confirmed that there are currently 381 people on its affordable housing list with the largest proportion of applicants coming from Ennis and Shannon.
In a report before the council’s Special Policy Committee (SPC) for Housing, acting Housing Director, Josephine Cotter Coughlan confirmed that 100 allocations of homes had been made to the original 481 people that responded to adverts last year for expressions of interest for people in need of affordable housing.
Figures supplied by the council show that 146 people from Ennis lodged an expression of interest for an affordable home, while elsewhere, 79 applications were received from Shannon, 35 from Quin, six from Kilrush, 21 from Sixmilebridge, 14 from Corofin and eight from Kilkee.
Ms Cotter Coughlan revealed council plans to develop 250 social and affordable homes in the Shannon area.
Outlining other future proposals in a bid to shorten the waiting list, Ms Cotter Coughlan said that the council intended to construct 24 affordable homes in Kilkee. The application is currently being considered and will be on the agenda for the council’s December meeting.
She also revealed that the council proposes to construct 40 affordable houses in 2007/2008 at Cluain Airne, Shannon.
“The council is currently examining the possibility of constructing an affordable housing scheme on a 2.2 hectare site immediately south of the Cluain Airne housing estate,” she said.
Ms Cotter-Coughlan revealed that through Part V of the Planning and Development Act, 72 affordable homes had been allocated in nine separate private housing developments across the county.
These include 10 homes by Reddington Construction at Lios Ard, Tulla Rd, Ennis, 10 homes by Rinn Construction at Gort na nUll, Sixmilebridge and five homes at Dun na Manach, Quin by builder, Paul Talty.
Ms Cotter Coughlan said that since 2004, the council had committed itself to providing 40 affordable housing initiative units under Sustaining Progress.
“The delivery of these units in County Clare is now being considered in the context of the master plan prepared for lands zoned Residential in the South Clare Economic Corridor Local Plan adjacent to the Cúl na Gréine Housing Scheme at Tullyvarraga, Shannon,” said Ms CotterCoughlan.