*Photograph: John Sheridan.
ENNISTYMON could become home to “another Ballymun” if a block of apartments are made solely available for social housing, a county councillor has warned.
Located at the site of the Old Convent in Ennistymon what was initially intended to become a retirement village could now become 31 apartments for social housing according to elected representatives who hit out at previous decisions by the local authority for creating “ghettos” in the North Clare town.
Clare County Council in January granted permission to Alan Cummins Ltd to change the use of the development as a retirement village for use as residential. The application also sought to change the internal layout and minor elevational changes to the refurbished convent building as granted, and presently under construction, to provide thirteen apartments made up of 1 x 1 bedroom apartment, 10 x 2 bed apartments and 2 x 3 bed apartments. Planning had been secured for the retirement village in 2019.
Clarity was sought by Cllr Bill Slattery (FG) and Cllr Shane Talty (FF) from the Director of Housing on whether the Council intended to have the development “occupied entirely by social housing rental tenants”, if options existed for the public to purchase an apartment and how it was proposed “to manage daily maintenance, anti-social behaviour, refuse, laundry needs of such an isolated development”.
Senior engineer in the Council’s housing section, Adrian Headd stated that the Council “have not received any application to date” for the development to be used for social housing. Within Ennistymon, Inagh and Lahinch, 135 people are qualified for social housing.
He advised, “Turnkey Acquisitions will continue to be an important part of social housing delivery, and particularly those developments which also address vacancy and dereliction within urban settings having regard for successful schemes delivered to date”.
Speaking at a meeting of the West Clare Municipal District, Cllr Slattery referred to the granting of planning for a retirement village at the location six years ago to accommodate residents over fifty five, “everyone was pleased with that”. He added, “for some reason when the apartments were built the developer decided to change the planning application in 2025 for apartments for affordable and social. The word has gone around that they will all be social houses, this area is not suitable, this isolated site is not suitable for social housing, if it will be all social housing it won’t work. It is in the wrong place”.
Landbanks on the Ennis Rd are “where houses were to be built for social housing. The developer is trying to offload for social housing,” Slattery added. He said the Council reply didn’t deny they would be used for social housing. “I feel there is collaboration going on between the Department, housing bodies and Clare County Council to get this over the line,” he claimed. He added, “The people of Ennistymon don’t want social housing in that area. The elderly from Fanore wanted to move here and downsize, this is well on the tracks of becoming all social housing and I don’t want that to happen”.
Bringing the derelict Old Convent building “back into life” is to be welcomed, Cllr Talty observed. He said, “Everyone is aware that the developer undertaking the works, he has a very strong track record and a laudable track record of delivering turnkey developments and selling them on to housing bodies or to the County Council which becomes full stock social housing”.
Already the standing of the Council when it comes to housing in Ennistymon is at a low ebb, Cllr Talty remarked. “The reputation of Clare County Council when it has delivered housing developments in Ennistymon, they have delivered three specific sites in the last twenty five years, some were award winning at the time and they can now generously be described as ghettos. We walked away from them without management, maintenance, refuse or laundry”.
Director of Services, Carmel Kirby told the meeting that the planning application is for residential, “It wouldn’t normally specify whether social or affordable but I imagine it is just for residential. There has been no application to Clare County Council to take it on as social or affordable housing”. The developer has made no approach to the Council “as of yet,” she confirmed.
Cathaoirleach of the West Clare MD, Slattery predicted an approach will be made “very shortly”. He stated, “We will end up with 31 apartments ending up like an old Ballymun Estate, it is so isolated”. Slattery continued criticised the Council for the move to “pull the funds for people doing the supervision” in existing estates in Ennistymon, “two of them I’d declare as ghettos. Previous councillors have been blamed for allowing three halting sites to be built in Ennistymon, we will not be blamed for not doing anything about this”.
Sustainable communities depend on just having the wraparound services but capacity to manage, remarked Cllr Joe Garrihy (FG) who welcomed bringing derelict buildings back to use. “The holistic approach of wanting and needing housing in Clare, everything we talk about is having a good mix of housing, you want a mix of affordable, private and social housing. Our focus seems to be entirely on providing social housing. There is a need for housing activation team and working with members”.
Concerns from councillors will be relayed to the housing section, Kirby outlined. “Like any landlord there can be difficult tenants but the majority are very good,” she said while turning to face the media in attendance. “I think the work of our housing maintenance is generally good but there are difficult tenants to be managed”.
