A local councillor is calling for more transparency from the Housing Executive amid news that more social housing units are being purchased at a private development in North Tipp.
This comes from Councillor Séamie Morris, who has expressed frustration that Tipperary Council has almost finished the purchase of 19 houses at Springfort Meadows in Nenagh without any consultation with local councillors.
He says that the town already has 117 social housing units, and it’s time to add affordable housing to the mix.
Cllr. Morris says it goes against proper planning.
“They just go ahead and do these things. This is the complete opposite of proper planning. What they’re really doing they paid between €270,000 to €290,000 for one- and two-bedroom houses built to a lower speck than would normally be given planning permission, and they are now pricing first-time buyers out of the market. I personally can’t stand over it because it’s totally against the planning policy they’ve had until now. The people of Springfort Meadows aren’t standing for it, and I don’t blame them to be honest with you.”
Residents of the Springfort Meadows estate have formed a committee protesting more social housing being purchased there.
The independent councillor says the lack of transparency led to anger directed at local councillors from residents who thought they signed off on it.
“There’s several questions: Why did they pay so much? Why did they buy the houses? Why are they throwing the Part 5 legal stuff out the window now and going in buying whole estates when already Nenagh has 117 social houses in the pipeline? Why do we need to create so much friction? And believe you me, there’s friction. I got probably some of the worst abuse I’ve ever gotten as a representative from people living in the estate who are rightly angry and rightly can’t believe that the council are sitting over this.”
