Hope of affordable housing for Nenagh

Council on track to build 249 dwellings this year

The recent grant of planning permission for the long-awaited upgrade of Nenagh’s wastewater treatment plant has led to hope of providing a badly-needed affordable housing development in the town.

Tipperary Co Council has for some time been seeking expressions of interest from developers for an affordable housing development in Nenagh. No responses have been received.

The September meeting of the council heard of progress with affordable housing plans in the south of the county at Clonmel and Boherlahan. Cllr Fiona Bonfield inquired of plans for similar in the north of the county. She described the income threshold for a single person to qualify for social housing in Tipperary as “really small in today’s world”.

Senior Executive Officer Shane O’Dwyer said the improvement of Nenagh’s wastewater treatment plant is likely to lead to increased planning applications and interest from developers. Uisce Éireann was granted planning permission to upgrade the plant last summer. While there is no timeframe for project completion, Mr O’Dwyer said the move would “probably lead to expressions of interest in affordable housing. The Department [of Housing] will only help you when you have a developer on board.”

HOUSES ON HOLD

The council presently has 68 new housing units of its own with a status of “on hold” in Nenagh, pending Uisce Éireann’s upgrade project. These include 27 units at Gortlandroe, 13 at Millersbrook, 10 at New Line Road, 13 at the Rialto site and five at William St.

They are among a total of 1,125 new houses that the council intends to deliver as part of its 2022-2026 housing construction programme. Between 40 and 45% of this total is to be provided by approved housing bodies (AHBs) working with the council.

Tipperary Co Council is projecting delivery of 249 new units in 2025. This is far in excess of the 170-unit target set for the year by the Dept of Housing.

But, while welcoming this progress, Cllr David Dunne told this month’s meeting that the department’s targets are “very small”; local authorities should be capable of delivering even more houses, he said.

3,500 ON WAITING LIST

The meeting was informed that Tipperary Co Council currently has 3,517 approved applicants on its housing waiting list. Most of these – 880 – are in the Thurles Municipal District, which includes Roscrea and Templemore, while the Nenagh Municipal District has 795 applicants.

Cllr Anne Marie Ryan queried the number of tenants in private accommodation that have received notices to quit in the last six months.

Director of Services Jonathan Cooney said the council received €5 million this year to buy houses in such situations and upgrade them. This allowed the council to acquire 17 houses where the tenant was at risk of homelessness and there was no other option available to them.