A Sinn Féin councillor in Tralee municipal district has warned that at the council’s current rate of construction, it will take a century to house everyone on the social housing waiting list.
Councillor Paul Daly made the comments after receiving details of how many social and affordable homes are expected to be completed in the district by the end of the year.
Council management reported that twenty-six social housing units are due for completion in the district this year, and no affordable homes.
The Cloghersta Apartments, expected to finish next month, will provide sixteen units - twelve one-bedroom and four two-bedroom homes.
The refurbishment of Mitchells Road, also due in September, will add one three-bedroom unit.
Áras an Cluana, on the site of the former Locke’s shop, was completed in March and contains eight one-bedroom units.
Another refurbishment project, Kilrain Gardens, completed in April, comprises one three-bedroom unit.
Currently, fifty-three dwellings are under construction in Tralee municipal district, and construction is expected to begin on a further eighty-nine homes in Lohercannon this autumn.
Cllr Paul Daly expressed concern over the housing shortage, noting that over two thousand people remain on the waiting list, while only twenty-six homes are expected to be
completed this year.
He described this figure as “extraordinarily small” and questioned, what he feels is, the council’s inconsistent approach to housing policy.
Cllr Daly referenced the council’s previous refusal to accept the original population hub policy for areas of fifty thousand, which was later reduced to ten thousand for affordable housing, and challenged how the council accepts some policy changes but rejects others.
He emphasised the urgent need to provide homes for people in Tralee and Kerry.
Cllr Daly acknowledged plans for future housing but insisted the pace must be significantly increased given the severity of the crisis.
Councillor Deirdre Ferris seconded the motion, adding that although social housing delivery is welcome, no affordable housing projects are currently underway in the district.
Daly also pointed out that no four-bedroom homes are scheduled for completion this year, despite clear demand for family-sized housing, including two-, three-, and four-bedroom units.
He called this a clear oversight and stressed the importance of including four-bedroom homes in future plans.
Council management acknowledged the high demand and agreed on the need to accelerate delivery.
They confirmed that an affordable housing scheme is planned and will proceed, supported by the recent acquisition of a significant tract of land in the town.Regarding the lack of four-bedroom homes, management explained that around eighty-five percent of demand is for one- and two-bedroom units, though demand for three- and four-bedroom homes is also recognised.
They said most current builds focus on smaller homes to meet the greatest demand, but that the council remains committed to providing a range of housing sizes and to building as many homes as possible across all categories.
