Council must spread social housing to both sides of city

A €12 million social housing estate in Ballybane has split city councillors this week – with those on the east side threatening to vote it down unless it is reconstituted as more of a mixed development.

The 58 apartments, duplexes and houses earmarked for a Council-owned site off the Monivea Road would be fully funded by the Government under its Social Housing Investment Programme.

Fianna Fáil Councillor Mike Crowe kicked off the debate by pointing out that 52% of the Council’s 2,400 houses was located on the east side of the city and the majority were in the vicinity of this planned development.

The Council was planning social housing developments on the Headford Road for 75 units, at Radharc na Gréine creating 52 homes and one on Bothar an Choiste for 45. Housing bodies had applied to build 81 units earmarked for Castlegar with a second phase of Caireal Mór to add 15 homes while in Belmont, Renmore, another 16 units were in planning.

Local residents wanted three-quarters of this development in the townland of ‘Ballybaan More’ to be part of an affordable housing scheme.

“There has to be some regard to the overall mix of any development in the area. There has to be consideration given to the people in this area. Galway City Council has struggled to deal with issues as regards housing, roads and the environment and we are going to be compounding this problem,” he argued.

“There’s no point . . . hammering in all social housing dominate one particular area . . .this is more than about targets. There’s no point in solving one problem by creating another.”

Cllr Declan McDonnell (Ind) said the Government was doing nothing to help people earning around €35,000 in the last ten years while the Council was not managing the 2,400 estates it had under its control.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.

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