Much more needs to be done to house our single people and downsizers

‘THIS is one of the most frustrating things for people who are looking for houses,’ said Cllr Paul Hayes (Ind) after it was revealed there are 39 vacant houses in the western division of Cork County Council.

‘The figure,’ Cllr Hayes stated at a meeting of the western divisional committee meeting, ‘is after creeping up.’

But the director of housing, Maurice Manning, insisted there is no delay in refurbishment.

‘There will always be vacant housing,’ he said, ‘but we are committed to refurbishing them as quickly as we can.’

He said the vacancy figure accounts for less than a 2% vacancy rate of the Council’s entire housing stock.

The director confirmed that Cork County Council is on target with its housing programme and had allocated 634 houses up to April of this year.

Of the 39 vacant properties it is dealing with, he said 18 are long-term voids, with the remaining 21 labelled ‘casual vacancies’. 

In a breakdown of those figures, he said numbers fluctuated month by month and explained that six of the vacant properties are awaiting inspection; three had been secured and inspected; and that the contract for refurbishment work had been awarded for three of the properties.

Meanwhile, he said work is ongoing at six of the properties – which are from Bandon to Beara – and three are ready to let.

‘Some properties take longer than others to refurbish, depending on the condition in which they are returned to the Council,’ he said. 

Cllr Hayes welcomed the fact that 17% of all of the Council’s housing allocations, so far, have been to people with disabilities, but he believes the vacancy rate needs to be reduced. He also suggested that more could be done for single people.

He pointed out that the number of single people coming onto the Council’s housing list is growing due to rent pressures, relationship breakdown, and the lack of suitably-sized accommodation on the market.

Mr Manning agreed there is an insufficient amount of this type accommodation in the private market for the Council to acquire, but he said they are addressing the need as part of their building programme.

‘There are also people who want to downsize,’ said Cllr Hayes, ‘people who want to give up their three and four-bedroomed houses and live in a two-bed instead.’

Primarily, he said these people are older and want to live in a single-storey house that is easier to maintain and to heat, given the rising cost of fuel.

Mr Manning said the Council would be willing to talk to people about downsizing, but he acknowledged that there may be a difficulty in finding them a suitable alternative.

Cllr John O’Sullivan (FG) praised the local authority for the major inroads it is making in meeting its housing targets and providing new homes. However, he did call on the Council to look again at how it can provide affordable housing.

Cllr Gillian Coughlan (FF) said the demand for affordable housing is most acute in Kinsale. 

She also expressed concern about the fact that Cork County Council has 966 leases and that there are currently more than 3,5000 tenants in receipt of the housing assistance payment.

Cllr Coughlan paid tribute to the Council for getting to grips with the local housing issue, but with more and more landlords exiting the market, she said things will only get worse.

Mr Manning said the Council has advertised, seeking expressions of interest from builders to build houses with the local authority.

‘We hope to be advertising a number of affordable housing schemes this year,’ Mr Manning added.

Cllr Caroline Cronin (FG) welcomed the good news for the people of Ballydehob and Schull that the Council will be building 12 housing units in the coming months. She also noted the lack of affordable housing. 

‘It is especially true in rural areas, such as Schull and Ballydehob, where the demand for housing far exceeds the supply.’