Photograph: Maura Harvey
PLANS are being advanced for the construction of 47 new social housing homes in Kilkee and Kilrush.
Clare TD, Cathal Crowe (FF) has approval in principle has been given by Minister for Housing, Darragh O’Brien (FF) to Clare County Council for the construction of 22 new social housing units at Moore St in Kilrush.
A mixture of one, two and three bedroom homes will be included in the Kilrush development, The Clare Echo understands.
Kilrush based, Cllr Ian Lynch (IND) said discussions were held with the County Council in 2020 “to see how we could address vacant and derelict properties in the town centre. We identified the possibility of developing housing on Moore St as a way to address this but also bring people back living in the town itself”.
Minister O’Brien is also advancing plans to build 25 new social housing homes in Kilkee. Deputy Crowe outlined that in clinics held in the area with Cllr Cillian Murphy (FF) they have met “many local people struggling to find a home, .hopefully these houses, when built, will be ‘forever homes’ for many families”.
Cllr Murphy said he was “absolutely thrilled” that the plans were progressing. “Since I was elected in 2019 the development of this long term council owned site has been a priority for me. It’s been the subject of numerous conversations between myself and our extremely hard working housing team in Clare County Council. Every week I have many calls and messages with regard to social housing, so I’m delighted to see that 25 couples or families will be accommodated in Kilkee. One of the biggest challenges for the ongoing viability of the town is the competition for housing for second or holiday homes, adding to our social housing stock is one sure way of ensuring these homes are permanently occupied”.
