Calls to curb large-scale social housing in parts of Kerry
New Was Their 'a Now', Council Homeless Who Of Told Who With For There Housing, Picture And Could Working Purchase Not File Qualify Own House Would Not Social Breed People
Councillors in Kerry are calling for curbs on large-scale social housing developments, claiming such schemes lead to anti-social behaviour, with a mix of social and affordable housing a better option.
Fine Gael councillor Bobby O’Connell told a municipal meeting that "no more than 20%" of the 67-house development planned for Castleisland should be allocated for social housing, saying "we are forgetting about the people who get up early in the morning and go to work and pay their taxes".
His was one of two motions before the meeting of Castleisland-Corca Dhuibhne Municipal District, where criticism was levelled at social housing developments by approved housing bodies.
A second motion by Fianna Fáil councillor and mayor of the district Michael O’Shea urged the council "not to negotiate any more land deals with approved housing bodies for social housing".
Milltown was "overpopulated with social housing thus denying young families the opportunity to purchase a private home", his motion read.
Mr O’Connell was told all 67 units being jointly built in Castleisland by Focus Ireland and Cooperative Housing Ireland were intended for social housing.
In response, he said big social housing estates "don’t work" and lead to anti-social behaviour.
Mr O’Connell, a former mayor of Kerry and the leader of Fine Gael on the council, said: "It is not just social housing that is required, it is affordable housing".
There was "a new breed of homeless now", with working people who could not purchase their own house and who would not qualify for social housing, he told the meeting.
Housing delivery in Kerry was "totally tilted towards social housing", Mr O’Connell said.
The best estates were small and South Hill in Limerick and other large housing estates were examples of the kinds of developments that do not work, he said.
The housing bodies would not be around to deal with the problems and it was councillors who would be left to deal with it, Mr O'Connell added.
The motion was seconded by Independent councillor Charlie Farrelly, who said he had advocated for a 60:40 mix.
The four local councillors in Castleisland had "no idea" who was going into the new houses.
"But we’ll soon find out when there’s trouble,’ Mr Farrelly said.
However, Independent councillor Jackie Healy-Rae said while some estates experienced trouble, the stereotype was "not fair", and the message should not go out that social housing meant trouble.
In a reply, the council’s senior executive officer for housing Gerard O’Brien said there was no facility to allocate a percentage of the two and three-bedroom units for social housing.
The council was under pressure from the Government to deliver significant housing delivery targets.
"It is highly unlikely this project would have been delivered at all except for the ultimate inclusion within the Social Housing Delivery Programme," he said by way of written reply.
Most of the successful candidates allocated houses from the council waiting lists would be from the private rental market and this would free up rental accommodation, Mr O’Brien added.