Westmeath to receive 306m to slash housing list

Westmeath is to receive over €30m in the next three years, from a national pot aimed at slashing the length of Ireland’s housing waiting lists.
Announced just this morning is an allocation of €30,654,575, which the local authority is to use to either build, buy or lease 542 houses for social purposes.
The allocations were made by the Minister for the Environment, Community & Local Government, Alan Kelly TD, along with Minister of State, Paudie Coffey TD, and have been welcomed warmly by Deputies Willie Penrose, Gabrielle McFadden and James Bannon, as well as by Cllr Andrew Duncan.
The breakdown document indicates that the fund for Westmeath should facilitate a 29 per cent drop in the length of the local housing list.
According to the Department of Environment, Community & Local Government, each local authority was asked to bring forward housing unit targets and specific building projects out to 2017. As part of the strategy, targets had to be agreed with each local authority in 2015.
Approximately 300 separate building proposals by local authorities are currently being assessed by the Department and will be announced in a number of phases starting in Mid-April. Construction is already underway for social housing in approximately 33 sites throughout the country.
The various schemes will target the refurbishment of vacant social housing units and local authorities will have the option of both building and acquiring housing.
The average cost of building a social housing unit is €185,000 – meaning in some parts of the country it will remain cheaper and quicker to acquire as opposed to build.
Local authorities will have some discretion to adapt to local circumstances, but all will be expected to kick-start a building programme, the ministers said.