“Criminal” that Galway social housing delivery taking up to four years: Ó Broin
Photo courtesy of Mark Lynch
The fact it’s taking up to four years to complete some social housing projects in Galway has been slammed as “criminal”.
That’s the view of Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on housing, Eoin Ó Broin, who was speaking during a visit to Galway this week.
Deputy Ó Broin said: “There’s funding for some developments, but nothing that would suggest that in the next two or three years, the housing situation here is going to improve greatly. In fact, in several areas, it’s actually going to get worse.
“If all things are left as they are, then the prospect of young people being able to own their own home, even into their late 30s, is diminishing,” he said.
Deputy Ó Broin met with officials from Galway City and County Councils, and local housing organisations with his party colleague from Galway West, Mairéad Farrell, as part of a series of engagements on his visit “to ensure I have a proper handle of what’s going on in local areas”.
“There’s great work being done on the ground by the council, the Land Development Agency and the NGO sector but there’s huge challenges both in the city and the county,” said Deputy Ó Broin. “I don’t get the impression from talking to people yesterday that there’s a widespread belief that the government’s housing plan is going to change that in any kind of fundamental way.”
The Sinn Féin spokesperson on housing also criticised the obstacles put in front of local authorities by government departments, when trying to deliver social housing.
“From talking to officials in Galway yesterday, the length of time it takes from conception to construction, in some cases, is three to four years for a public housing project. That’s criminal.
“In fairness, on the main, it’s not the fault of the local authorities. It’s the dead hand of red tape from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform slowing it down. We need to speed up the process for delivering those.”
The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform declined to comment on Deputy Ó Broin’s claims.
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