THE Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has today granted approval in principle to Kerry County Council for a turnkey development of 61 social homes at Springfield Drive, Ballyyoughtragh North, Milltown.
The homes are a mix of three and four bedroom units. Welcoming the announcement, Minister for Education and Kerry T.D Norma Foley said; “I would like to thank my Cabinet colleague Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien for confirming that approval in principle has been awarded for this significant acquisition of 61 new homes for social housing in Kerry.
“I would also like to thank Kerry County Council for their ongoing hard work during these challenging times and their commitment to providing housing to all local communities across the county.”
.The new estate at Cluain Láir at Lohercannon. Phase two will see 94 units delivered by the end of 2026.
KERRY County Council currently has plans to deliver 164 social housing units between now and November 2026.
At the meeting of Tralee Municipal District (MD) of Kerry County Council on Monday, Fianna Fáil Cllr. Mikey Sheehy asked how many housing units are currently being planned in the MD.
The councillors were informed of the current planned housing programme for both Kerry County Council and the Approved Housing Body Sector.
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It revealed that just eight units — at Lockes Shop on Mitchels Road — are planned to be delivered by the local authority by late 2024.
In 2025, 62 units are scheduled for completion. These are 16 apartments at Hawley Park, 27 apartments at Matt Talbot Road and 19 housing units at Garryruth.
There are 94 housing units scheduled to begin construction in September 2024 for the second phase of Cluain Láir in Lohercannon. These are expected to be complete by the end of 2026.
Meanwhile here are three developments from Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) due to be completed by next summer.
They are 18 apartments at Chamfers Place, Mitchels and 20 houses at Lawlors Hill in Ardfert — which are already scheduled to be finished — and 10 apartments at Hunters Lodge in Tralee due for completion by next July.
APPROVAL in principle has been issued by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to Kerry County Council for the construction of 24 social homes at the Old Denny Site/Island of Geese on the Matt Talbot Road side.
In total the new build will consist of 17 one-bedroomed and seven two-bedroomed apartments.
Approval in principle has been granted and will now go to Part 8 planning process before going before councillors for approval.
Welcoming the news, Minister for Education, Norma Foley said: “I welcome this announcement which will provide homes in Tralee for those that need it most, particularly one-bedroomed accommodation which are in short supply. I would also like to thank Kerry County Council for their ongoing hard work during these challenging times and their commitment to providing social housing to all local communities across Kerry.”
GRANT funding totalling €991,600 has been allocated to Kerry County Council under the 2020 Voids Stimulus Programme to enable the refurbishing of 50 social housing units for the purpose of re-letting them to individuals and families.
As part of the July Stimulus Programme, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage announced over €40 million for the refurbishment of voids.
All Local Authorities made applications which were categorised into three funding streams; standard voids at an average cost of approximately €11,500, homeless voids at an average cost of €17,300 and long-term voids at an average cost of €47,000.
Kerry County Council received an allocation of €424,550 for the refurbishing of 36 standard voids and a further €567,050 for the refurbishing of long-term voids. The allocation was welcomed by Minister for Education and Kerry TD Norma Foley.
.The old stone wall at Lohercannon which will have to come down to make way for a new housing development.
COUNCILLORS unanimously approved the construction of a 61 unit housing development at Lohercannon on the outskirts of town at the meeting of Tralee Municipal District of Kerry County Council on Tuesday morning.
However, while welcoming the much-needed local authority housing, some councillors lamented the fact that a stone wall, which has stood for many decades, will have to be demolished to make way for the estate.
The development, located in a greenfield site immediately west of Ashgrove estate, will consist of eight one-bedroom apartments, 37 three-bedroom houses, 12 four-bedroom houses and four five-bedroom houses.
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It was approved, but with five amendments to the original plan, including the removal of a 1.8m boundary wall intersecting the wayleave, while a 1.2m high wall proposed along the eastern boundary with Ashgrove will be replaced with a 2m high plaster wall.
Cllrs commended the residents of Lohercannon and Ashgrove, who had been very fair with the Council throughout the planning process. They said the residents recognised the need for social housing in the town, but had genuine concerns about aspects of the design for the future tenants and offered solutions.
The plan for the new estate .
One of the issues brought up by councillors was the fact that the high stone wall will have to be removed.
Cllr Norma Foley said the wall was hugely important to the residents of Lohercannon, an area she said was unique, in that it is rural in its essence, yet so close to urban areas.
She asked if the historical wall could be retained in some way. She said it was more than just a wall and was part of the identity of the people in the area and indeed Irish people in general.
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However, Council management said they looked at that possibility, but after assessing the situation there was no way to provide a footpath and cycle lane without losing the wall.
They hope to use the stone from the wall in the front elevation of the streetscape of the estate. Cllr Ferris asked if they could run the footpath inside the wall, but was told that this was not possible.
In all, the Tralee MD councillors voted for 107 new local authority housing units in the town at the meeting, with other developments in Croogorts and Hawley Park.
.The site of the development of 30 new local authority units at Croogorts.
COUNCILLORS in the Tralee Municipal District approved local authority housing developments in Tralee at the July meeting at county buildings this morning.
There will be 30 residential units built at Croogorts near the Gort na Gréine/Rockwood Park/Lios Rua/Gallowsfield estates, on a greenfield site of 1.13 hectares.
The application for the Croogorts development consisted of four one bedroom duplex units, 20 two-storey two-bedroom houses, five two-storey three-bedroom houses and one tw0-storey four-bedroom house with access road, services, landscaping and associated works.
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The development was approved unanimously by councillors, after the following amendments to the original plan;
• that a pedestrian link/access in the wall between the proposed site and Rockwood Park be omitted
• the proposed pedestrian footpaths linking the proposed development and Rockwood Park be omitted
• the existing 2m high wall between Rockwood Park and the proposed development be retained along the full length of the southern boundary.
Meanwhile, an application for a development at Hawley Park for a two storey complex consisting of 12 one bedroom/two person apartments and four two bedroom/three person apartments, access road, pedestrian access, services, car park, landscaping and site works was also passed unanimously, without any amendments, at the council meeting.
THE contracts have been signed for the construction of 29 new social housing units in the county. The new homes are being developed by Kerry County Council in Listowel, Milltown and Killorglin under the Rebuilding Ireland programme.
The Cathaoirleach of Kerry County Council, Cllr Norma Foley, and the Chief Executive of Kerry County Council, Moira Murrell signed contracts with the developers for each of the three schemes which will be completed by the end of the year.
Seven two-bed, two-storey houses are being constructed at Courthouse Lawn, Listowel by Ned O’Shea & Sons Construction Ltd to the value of €1m. The design team includes Kane Williams Architects, Malachy Walsh & Partners Consulting Engineers, and John Kelleher & Associates, Building Services Engineers.
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A €1.2m contract awarded to Evans & Kelliher Construction Ltd will see the development of eight new homes at Cúirt Eaglaise in Milltown, comprising four two-bed and four three-bed units. Thedesign team includes Kane Williams Architects, Malachy Walsh & Partners Consulting Engineers and John Kelleher & Associates, Building Services Engineers.
Meanwhile 14 homes will be completed by next December at Ardmoneel, Killorglin as part of a €2.3m contract with Parkway Contracts Ltd. The design team for the project includes Vincent Fahy Architects, Tobin Consulting Engineers, and Don O’Malley & Partners Ltd Building Services Engineers.
Cllr Foley warmly welcomed the commencement of construction of these new houses which will provide modern and comfortable facilities for many individuals and families in Kerry.
‘It is wonderful to see these developments being advanced under the Rebuilding Ireland programme with the support of Kerry County Council. I look forward to the completion of these units at the earliest opportunity. I would like to commend the staff of our Capital Infrastructure Unit for their tremendous work in advancing these important projects,’ she said.
A DEVELOPMENT of 56 new social housing units is to be built in Lohercannon after the Taoiseach approved funding of €11.6m for the project.
Leo Varadkar announced the funding on his visit to Tralee on Friday when he was in town at a Fine Gael party function to honour former TD and Minister Jimmy Deenihan.
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The funding will be supplied to Kerry County Council for the project. Cllr Jim Finucane of Fine Gael welcomed the news at the meeting of Tralee Municipal District councillors on Monday morning.
Plans for the development were first revealed by the Council in April 2015 with an envisaged start in 2017.
The area identified for the development was adjacent to the Ashgrove estate and the road leading down to the lock gates.
The area to the left of the Ashgrove estate (on the right) which was identified for social housing back in 2015.
KERRY County Council has issued a call for properties which have been vacant for more than one year for possible use for social housing purposes.
The newly launched Repair and Leasing Scheme targets vacant properties as a possible source of social housing and provides property owners with an income stream that may be otherwise unavailable.
The scheme provides that repair and improvement works to bring such properties up to the standard for rented accommodation are funded by the relevant local authority, in this case, Kerry County Council.
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The cost of the works is then deducted from rent/lease payments over an agreed lease term of at least ten years.
There are a number of requirements in relation to the scheme:
· The scheme is not available for private renting
· The property must be vacant for at least 12 months
· There has to be a social housing demand for the property locally
· The property has to be viable to provide accommodation
· The minimum lease term is dependent on the cost of repairs with a minimum lease period of 10 years and a maximum period of 20 years
· The maximum cost of repairs allowable under the scheme will be €40,000
· The lease payments will be based on the general terms of social leasing which is set at 80% (85% for apartments) of the current market rental rates in the property location
· The scope and cost of the works are agreed between the owner and Kerry County Council
Properties in all areas will be considered but in particular the council is anxious to source properties in the main towns and villages in the county. The benefits for those considering availing of the scheme include:
· Upgrade your property at no capital outlay from your own resources
· Guaranteed rent
· No loss of rent during vacant periods
· No collection of rent or finding a new tenant
· No dealing with tenants or routine maintenance
· No advertising costs
Application forms and further details are available on Kerry County Council’s website,www.kerrycoco.ie, or by contacting the Housing Department at 066 7183645 or by email atkerryrls@kerrycoco.ie
Interested property owners should complete the application form and submit the relevant documents to the Housing Department, Kerry County Council, County Buildings, Tralee, Co Kerry on or before Thursday, 1st June, 2017.
FUNDING to the tune of over €1.8 has been announced for two Tralee social housing projects by Minister for the Environment, Alan Kelly this morning.
It’s part of a €10.6m package for Kerry that sees other areas of the county receive large amounts of funding for social housing.
The package includes, four units at Bill Kinnerk road, Tralee (€730k), nine units at Killeen, Tralee (€1.1m), eight social housing units at The Park, Killarney (Phase 2, €1.45m), 10 units in Listowel (€1.5m), 10 units at Milltown, Bridewell (€1.95m), and 22 units at Kenmare (€3.9m).
Labour TD, Arthur J Spring has welcomed the approval. “I welcome the announcement by Labour Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government, Alan Kelly that €10.63 million has been approved for the building of an additional 63 housing units in Kerry.
Following an announcement in May 2015 which saw €6.3 million allocated for the building of 28 houses, this funding will allow the continuation of the building schemes in The Park, Killarney and Killeen Tralee which saw the approval of twelve houses in each location previously.
Today’s funding awards €1.45 million for the building of an additional 8 social housing units at the Park, Killlarney, €1.1 million for an additional 9 units in Killeen, Tralee. A further four units will be built at Bill Kinnerk Road, Tralee with €730 allocated for this project.
Twenty two units have been approved in Kenmare with an allocation of €3.9 million. Ten units will be built both in Listowel and Milltown and funding of €1.5 million and €1.95 million has been allocated respectively.”
Deputy Spring said; “This announcement of €10.63 million for the building of 63 units all over Kerry will create a boost in construction jobs county wide.”
KERRY County Council aim to purchase over 30 properties for social housing by the end of the year.
In total, it is expected that over 400 housing units in all will be delivered by the end of 2015.
In a report by John Breen, Director of Services at the Council distributed to members at the monthly meeting of Kerry County Council on Monday, it emerged that 17 houses were at the contract signed stage or pre-contract stage for legal examination, with a further 18 houses at the offer/inspection stage.
In relation to vacant houses, the Council received additional funding for work on ‘voids’ and will complete work on 100 houses by the end of 2015.
The housing department has completed or is in the process of completing 216 Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS)/Leasing contracts for 2015. Through working with approved housing bodies, 29 units will be delivered through Long-Term Leases and a further 11 units will be delivered throughout the Capital Assistance Scheme by the year’s end.
In terms of the housing construction programme, work on four units at Bill Kinnerk Road in Tralee will begin in December, while work on site in a new 12 unit housing development in Killeen will begin in late 2016 as planning for the scheme is advancing.
Deputy Arthur Spring welcomed the announcement of funding for social housing today.
A 12 unit social housing development at Killeen was part of a number of projects given the green light today with the allocation by the Government of €6.3m for Kerry.
Overall, it will deliver 28 houses in areas such as Tralee, Killarney and Lixnaw and permit the building of 12 additional single rural dwellings throughout the county. The new construction units are expected to be in place by 2017.
The move is part of a construction kick-off announced by Labour’s Environment Minister Alan Kelly encompassing the first major direct build social housing programme which gave the green light to over 100 social housing projects throughout the country today.
“This is the first major house-building programme in Kerry for many years and the first phase of the Government’s Social Housing Strategy . €312 million has been approved by Minister Kelly which will see an additional 1700 social housing units come on stream by 2017 with an estimated 3000 additional jobs in construction created,” said Kerry North/West Limerick Labour Deputy Arthur J Spring.
Projects that have been given the green light today include: 12 Units in The Park, Killarney (Phase 2), four Units in Lixnaw and 12 Units in Killeen, Tralee.
“The news will create construction jobs throughout the county. We have an excellent skill-base of builders in our local areas and many of them are seeking work at the moment so this should provide a welcome boost,” said Deputy Spring.
THE Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has today granted approval in principle to Kerry County Council for a turnkey development of 61 social homes at Springfield Drive, Ballyyoughtragh North, Milltown.
KERRY County Council has issued a call for properties which have been vacant for more than one year for possible use for social housing purposes.
