Council reports record new builds after €103m spend

CORK County Council invested more than €103m in its housing programme in 2023, and oversaw a record number of new building starts in January 2024.

The Council’s director of housing, Maurice Manning, said €57, 613,326 was used to acquire turnkey developments – that were built specifically for the Council – as well as acquisitions, own builds, and social houses.

Part of the €103,413,732 spent by Council was used to pay for new housing under the buy and renew scheme, repair and leasing, as well as maintenance works.

Part of the funding – which the Council claimed from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in 2023 – was also spent on extensions to social housing units, affordable housing, vacant and derelict properties, energy efficiency and retrofitting, as well as private house grants throughout the county.

The €103m is in addition to the money the Council provides for housing assistance payments (HAP).

In a breakdown of the number of houses that were built in recent years, Mr Manning said 359 were constructed in 2023; 551 in 2022; 391 in 2021; 466 in 2020; 433 in 2019; and 295 in 2018.

A record number of home commencements across Cork city and county were undertaken in January of this year.

Mr Manning said the Council’s building target for the county in 2024 is 636 units, with the target for 2025 set at 683, followed by 697 new builds in 2026.

Meanwhile, he described the €103m spend as ‘a significant investment in the local economy in Cork county.

‘It demonstrates the progress made by Cork County Council in meeting its commitments under the Government’s programme Housing for All,’ he said.

The director of housing outlined that there are 67 housing units currently under construction; with further 15 units at the preliminary stage; 124 units at the design stage; and 36 more at the tender stage, bringing the total number, so far this year, to 242 new units.

He said these are the builds that are being carried out on the Council’s own lands.

In addition to these builds are the turnkey housing units, which are to be developed for the local authority. They include 24 units at The Tannery in Bandon, as well as five at Reenrour East in Bantry, and 34 more in Bantry at Caherdaniel.

Mr Manning said work is underway at Caherdaniel and it will consist of a mix of one, two, three, and four-bed units. These will be delivered in multiple phases – with the first phase already substantially complete.

Meanwhile, phase two of an affordable housing development at Beechgrove in Clonakilty will result in 31 new units, plus 112 at Commogue in Kinsale, and 60 at Kilnagleary in Carrigaline.

Mr Manning said design consultants have been appointed for the Clonakilty and Kinsale developments, and affordable housing funding has been approved by the Department of Housing for all three.

Under the Council’s buy and renew scheme, Mr Manning said 116 properties are being ‘pursued’, with 64 more acquisitions having been completed.

Under the capital assistance scheme, the director said six houses are under construction at St Michael’s in Bandon for the benefit of Bandon’s Geriatric and Community Council.

Under the capital assistance scheme, a further 12 turnkey units at Ardmanagh in Schull are under construction, while six acquired units at Seskin in Bantry are to benefit CoAction West Cork.

Throughout the county, Mr Manning said there are 1,064 leased units. The leasing scheme includes properties used by the local authority, as well as housing provided by approved housing bodies.

The director confirmed that of the Council’s total 2,008 housing units in West Cork, 18 are vacant. This represents 0.9% of the housing stock. However, 12 of them are already under repair, one is about to go to tender, and five are under offer to tenants.

Last year, Mr Manning said 208 of the local authority’s properties were retrofitted as part of a €6.3m scheme for the county.

The director of housing also informed the councillors that the average amount of local authority home loans in West Cork was €164,598.

In West Cork, he said 32 tenants applied for the loans and 14 were approved – five of which have already been processed.

In an update on the rate of homelessness in the region, Mr Manning said three single people in West Cork were helped out of homelessness in 2023.

And out of the 3,420 people in receipt of the housing assistance payment (HAP) throughout the county, 1,153 of these are in West Cork.

Mr Manning reported that 2,056 private rented inspections were carried out in 2023 under the housing standards regulations, which has a bearing on the payment of HAP.

In relation to choice-based letting (CBL), Mr Manning said 869 properties were advertised in West Cork as part of the Council’s online system and 854 were either allocated, or are under offer, with just 44 refusals.

Speaking to The Southern Star, Mr Manning summarised the goals for the year ahead saying: ‘The priority for 2024 is the continuation of our social housing programme, which includes the properties we build, and the properties we provide in partnership with developers and approved housing bodies.

‘In the year ahead, we will also be putting more emphasis on the affordable housing scheme,’ he said. Backed by Government grants that are paid through the local authority, the scheme allows houses to be made available at a discounted rate to first time buyers.

As part of the affordable housing scheme, Mr Manning said the cost rental scheme will also offer a 25% discount to qualifying applicants.