Council sells 17 affordable homes

Date Published: 06-Nov-2009

A RELAXING of the qualifying rules for people seeking affordable houses from the City Council has resulted in 17 new deals being done over recent weeks.

Councillors are expected to approve the sale of the 17 properties – located at Knocknacarra, Roscam and Doughiska – when they meet at City Hall on Monday night.

The houses and apartments – ranging in price from €140,000 to €220,000 – are being sold off by the City Council at ‘cost price’.

Previously, very strict lower and upper income limits applied to the sale of such houses, but with the bottom falling out of the property market over the past two years, the basic qualifying criteria now is that the purchaser is a first time buyer.

A spokesman for the City Council said that the sale of the 17 properties due to come before councillors on Monday night, was the latest tranche of accommodation units to be sold under the affordable housing scheme.

He said that the economic downturn and the collapse of the housing market had made selling very difficult but added that the properties still represented very good value for money.

“There has been a relaxation of the rules as regards the upper income limit for qualification, but we are insisting on, is that the purchasers are all first time buyers,” said the spokesman.

Mayor of Galway, Cllr Declan McDonnell said this latest batch of houses to come before the City Council represented a ‘big move’ for 17 families and individuals.

“Many people seeking affordable houses are having difficulty in the current economic climate in putting mortgages in place. There is now more flexibility in place in terms of the income ceiling for interested purchasers and this is a help,” said the Mayor.

Ten of the 17 affordable properties being sold by the City Council are in the An Leargán estate off the Western Distributor Road; four are in Coill Tire estate, Doughiska and three in An Reilean, Roscam.