Two social housing projects are earmarked for Portumna – adding 49 new or refurbished homes to the town’s accommodation stock.

Loughrea Municipal District Councillors were asked to approve a Part 8 planning application to move ahead with the demolition or partial knocking of eleven detached cottages on St Bridget’s Road, just 700 from the town centre.

Eight of the two-bed detached bungalows are derelict or vacant, with just three of the houses with tenants in the Council properties.

The other project is for an estate with 38 houses – ten two-beds, 26 three-beds and two four beds.

Senior Executive Engineer Eithne Murphy explained that Galway County Council originally planned to knock all the St Bridget’s houses and rebuild them. But in line with the policy of the Department of Housing to refurbish the two-bed properties, they had decided to instead completely overhaul them by knocking internal walls, building extensions and bring them up to a A3 BER rating.

Councillor Jimmy McClearn (FG) said he was “dubious” about the project, predicting that it would cost more to refurbish the houses than knock and build from scratch.

“It’s fine refurbishing houses but how do you bring them up to modern standards – many of them have damp and mould…I know from personal experience it’s very difficult to refurbish buildings. I’m delighted it’s being cleaned up but is it costing more to keep those cottage – we could have built in a similar design a new build for the same cost.”

Cllr Geraldine Donohue shared those concerns, saying restoring buildings can be a money pit. She had been involved in a refurbishment of her mother’s home built in the ‘60s and they had to take up floors and completely insulate it to damp proof it.

Cllr Ivan Canning (FF) said while he welcomed the Council had decided against totally knocking them, it was important they were reallocated to older tenants who had moved out because of their condition in what was a very quiet part of Portumna.

He asked the Council to explain why they were vacant for so long in the middle of a housing crisis and if the local authority could avail of the €70,000 grant to renovate derelict homes.

Eithne Murphy said while there were no costings for the project until tenders were in, an early assessment had found that the budget would be on a par with a complete rebuilding of the houses. But this would keep them in character with the current streetscape.

The Department had given their approval for the rebuild but the Council would have to reapply for funding after tenders were advertised in September.

The work was regarded as a new build rather than a deep retrofit and would take up to 18 months to complete. The Department had guaranteed in principle to fund the project under the social housing investment programme.

Cllr Michael ‘Moegie’ Maher asked how councillors could be expected to approve the planning without knowing the cost.

Cllr McClearn said while he had concerns about the cost, he was proposing their approval, which was unanimously agreed.

In relation to the development on St Joseph’s Road, Ms Murphy asked for the part 8 planning application to be deferred until July 29 so that all submissions could be considered.

Cllr Canning stated that it was imperative that some of the 38 units be allocated to people as under the affordable housing scheme and not just as council homes.

“It’s a sad state of affairs if we can’t give young couples a leg up. We were always told it was better to have a mix of affordable and social housing and while I welcome housing, we need to seriously think about adding affordable units into this.”

Pictured: Councillor Jimmy McClearn