Minister Peter Burke cuts the ribbon to officially open the new housing at Farran Row, Mullingar, with Paddy Gray, vice-chairman of Tuath; Minister Robert Troy, Cllr Frankie Keena, cathaoirleach, Westmeath County Council; mayor of Mullingar Cllr Aoife Davitt; Cllrs Ken Glynn, Mick Dollard and Frank McDermott; and Kathleen McLoughlin, Ivan and Noah Dalton, who are moving in to one of the new houses – plus officials from the county council, Tuath, and the Housing Finance Agency.

14 new homes opened in Farran

Rodney Farry

Published: Tue 31 Aug 2021, 10:40 AM

Last updated: Tue 31 Aug 2021, 11:07 AM

Fourteen new homes in the Farran estate were officially opened by Minister of State Peter Burke, yesterday, Monday, afternoon.

Farran Row is a Tuath Housing Direct Build project consisting of 14 new homes that have been allocated to families on the Westmeath County Council housing waiting list. The development consists of four two-bed bungalows, funded through the Dept of Housing’s CAS grant scheme, and five three-bed and, five two-bed, semi-detached houses, funded via private finance from the Housing Finance Agency (HFA) and a loan from the Dept of Housing.

The new homes are within an existing Westmeath County Council housing estate, a 15-minute walk from Mullingar town centre. The land was provided by the county council under the low-cost sites scheme with building contractors, TH Contractors Ltd.

The average price of a home in the Farran Row development was €195,000, which Minister Burke says “represents excellent value for money”.

Speaking at the official opening, the Fine Gael TD said: “I am delighted to officially launch 14 new homes for 14 local families here in my hometown of Mullingar. It is great to see Westmeath County Council and Tuath working collaboratively to provide a new start for families in our local community.

“These houses are finished to a very high standard and close to amenities, with great use being made of a small greenfield site within the existing residential area. I am delighted to meet some of the new tenants here today and I wish them the best as they embark on an exciting new chapter.”

Cllr Keena said: “Westmeath County Council is delighted to work with Tuath Housing in the delivery of this new social housing development at Farran, on lands provided by the local authority. Tuath is an important partner for the council in the delivery of social housing throughout the county – a number of developments such as this have been completed and a number are in the pipeline for future years.”

Speaking at the official opening, Tuath vice-chairman Paddy Gray noted the strong partnership that exists between Tuath Housing and the county council.

“We are humbled to be here in Westmeath once again for the opening of a further 14 homes for the people of Westmeath. The strong links that Tuath maintain with Westmeath County Council are important in providing more homes in the county. I would like to thank the Dept of Housing, the Housing Finance Agency and our developer and contractor partners, who support this partnership with their full backing, experience and expertise.

“I wish all the new residents at Farran Row every health and happiness in their new community.”

Barry O’Leary, CEO of the Housing Finance Agency, said: “The HFA is delighted to support this new development, which will provide much needed two- and three-bedroom homes for families in Mullingar. We will continue to provide competitively priced, long-term fixed rate finance to Tuath, and others in the sector, to support the strong delivery of social and affordable homes across the country.”

Tuath already manage 190 homes throughout the county with a further 50 homes on site. The association currently has some 7,400 homes in management nationwide, and is on course to deliver 1,800 homes in 2021.