*Protesters go past the Francis Street site in a demonstration organised by the Francis Street Alliance in April. Photograph: John Mangan
A RESIDENTIAL development which is to be led by the Ennis 2040 DAC could commence construction by the middle of February while a second application for a proposed affordable housing scheme in Ennis is to be made by Clare County Council.
As exclusively reported by The Clare Echo, Ennis 2040 DAC is to manage the delivery of a housing scheme on the site where the Francis Street cottages are located in the county town.
Clare County Council acquired the block of six cottages in October 2022 for a figure believed to be in excess of €700,000.
Initial plans of the Council to demolish the cottages and use the site as a temporary car park which would have cost in the region of €1.1m were scrapped following a strong public backlash. This then prompted the local authority to put forward the Francis Street site for the county’s first affordable housing scheme in an application to the Department of Housing.
In a statement to The Clare Echo, the Council confirmed that its housing team was preparing a submission for the Francis Street project “to the Department of Housing for access to the Affordable Housing Fund” and added “this submission will be based on the design relating to the project as prepared by Ennis 2040 on behalf of Clare County Council”.
However, a memo issued to elected members of the Council on December 20th titled ‘Frances Street Residential Development’ did not include mention of the word affordable in the near 400-word document.
39 new dwellings are to be constructed as part of the Francis Street project, the memo outlined. These are all understood to be apartments. There will be twenty nine two-bedroom properties, six one-bedroom dwellings and four three-bedroom dwellings.
Officials in the Council’s housing section detailed that it the development could commence as early as mid-February. “The proposed residential units are designed to a high standard, addressing house, landscape and amenity requirements”.
Meanwhile in a separate memo, the County Council informed councillors that a second application for eleven affordable houses in Ennis is currently with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage for approval.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, Cllr Gerry Flynn (IND) warned that the Council were trying to develop Ennis 2040 DAC as an approved housing body which he labelled as “a total scam”. He said, “the thirty nine apartments in Ennis is only a smokescreen because they are putting a false presentation on it, the people that want to buy affordable housing in Ennis don’t want to be buying apartments because it is not family orientated, they don’t want an apartment in a built-up area. That particular site is more suited to people who want to come into a town setting where all the services are near them and it hasn’t changed”.
Cllr Flynn who chairs the Social Development SPC which has a key focus on housing policy was adamant questions needed to be answered on whether the Francis Street project still included affordable housing at its core. “As Chair of housing policy, I think we’re entitled to transparency and we’re not getting it”. Particularly he felt the Francis Street project had progressed further than officials have outlined.
He added, “They’re selling it as an affordable housing scheme but if they are why the big announcement about eleven affordable houses, we know that it is an insult to the many people that need affordable housing that want to buy their own home. I think there is something going on”.
“An announcement of eleven houses for an affordable housing scheme doesn’t scratch the surface. If they said 100 from the outset and 50 for Shannon I’d say they were serious about it but I’m not happy at all with the way things are going, I’m in housing a long time and I’m getting the mushroom service”.
Speaking at the December meeting of Clare County Council, Chief Executive of the local authority, Pat Dowling commented, “Clare was not eligible for any affordable scheme until four or five months ago until we pushed it and pushed it, one cannot doubt the priority we are giving it, there is a clear intent. The Francis St site is the scheme to give effect to it, we can differ on the methodology of getting there, the reality is we want the outcome to be a top class affordable housing scheme, it will be delivered”.
