Tuam social housing plan gets green light

A €10 million social housing scheme has been approved for Tuam – despite ongoing issues with illegal dumping on a neighbouring farm.

Director of Services Michael Owens told members of Tuam Municipal Council that work on the 49 new houses at local authority-owned Tirboy in Tuam would commence this year.

Concern was expressed by members of Tuam Council with regard to the illegal dumping on adjoining land owned by a local farmer who grazes cattle there.

Mr Owens said that he would engage in consultation with the residents of Tirboy in Tuam and the land owner in an effort to resolve the problem.

The Director said that permission for the new houses had been granted subject to 15 conditions being complied with by Galway County Council. One related to the height of the boundary wall in relation to the adjoining lands.

Cllr Pete Roche welcomed the development of 49 new houses – but warned that the issue of illegal dumping had to be tackled.

The Fine Gael councillor said that the landowners had carried out clean-up and reclamation works on the property and were trying to develop a herd there – but he said there were cattle eating plastic products that were being illegally dumped there.

He was supported by Cllr Donagh Killilea who said that he welcomed the development of 49 new social housing in Tuam and hoped that the occupants would be carefully selected.

The Fianna Fáil councillor wanted the removal of a footpath from the boundary wall as he believed that this would lead to escalation of illegal dumping. He believed that this footpath should be relocated.

Cllr Killilea believed that the new housing development would go a long way towards tackling the accommodation crisis in Tuam.

Cllr Andrew Reddington (FG) said that he didn’t want a situation of illegal dumping taking place and there was no way that plastic should be fed to animals as is the case at the moment.

Members were informed that there were 374 on the housing waiting list in Tuam. Cllr Joe Sheridan (FF) opposed the development on the grounds that it would be abused by residents.