Construction Initiative will reduce social housing waiting lists and create jobs in Fingal – Farrell
€68m local authority home building initiative
Fine Gael TD, Alan Farrell, has today (Tuesday) welcomed the announcement of €4,750,000 investment in the construction of local authority housing in Fingal. Alan was speaking after the announcement of a €68 million Local Authority Construction Initiative by Minister for Housing and Planning, Jan O’Sullivan TD.
“I welcome today’s Government announcement of €68 million in funding to restart the local authority mainstream house building programme. In the North County, €4,750,000 will be invested to build at 12 houses at Glasmore Road in Swords and a further 27 units at Cappagh, near the Airport.
“This investment is badly needed to cope with the increased demand for social housing and will alleviates some pressure on local authority waiting lists. This week the Government also allocated €15m to bring vacant local authority housing back into use, another measure designed to reduce pressure on the social housing lists.
“These construction and maintenance investments will also create jobs in the building and green energy sectors in local communities across the country.
“The €68 million local authority construction initiative will see some 449 new homes built across the country over the next two years. This is just one of a number of Government-backed initiatives to provide high quality homes for families launching in 2014, including:
· A €15 million fund to bring back into use vacant local authority houses
· A €35 million investment over 2014 and 2015 for housing for people with a disability, people without a home and the elderly
· A €30 million investment in 2014 to improve the energy efficiency of local authority housing
· A €10 million fund to kick start resolution on the remaining unfinished housing developments
“I am pleased that the North County will see the benefit of this latest initiative, which should go some way towards reducing social housing waiting lists and will also create local jobs. There is no doubt however than considerably more government intervention will be required if we are to meaningfully tackle the housing crisis.