The Elected Members of Galway County Council have approved the Local Authority’s housing borrowing requirements – totalling €66.5 million.

This will fund critical housing projects and schemes, aimed at addressing housing shortages, promoting affordable and cost rental options, regenerating communities by bringing vacant properties back into use and investing in existing social housing.

The borrowing approval will enable the delivery of the first affordable cost rental homes by Galway County Council and the advancement of three affordable housing schemes in Claregalway and Athenry.

Following the unanimous approval by the Elected Members, Galway County Council will now seek loan approval from the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage that will allow for investment in the County’s housing needs.

“County Galway is experiencing increased demand for affordable and social housing and, therefore, it is critically important the Local Authority is sufficiently resourced to deliver new housing schemes, bring vacant and derelict properties back into use and maintain our existing housing stock to modern standards,” said Council CEO Liam Conneally.

“The support of Elected Members in achieving this goal is paramount and their approval of our Housing Borrowing requirements marks an important step in this process,” he added.

Michael Owens, Director of Services for Housing with Galway County Council, reflected on what he called the significant progress made in 2024 to date in ‘delivering social and affordable housing schemes with numerous developments completed and under construction across County Galway’.

“The collective ambition of the local authority and its members to tackling vacancy and dereliction rates and increasing and improving our housing stock can only be realised by successfully securing the necessary funding from the relevant agencies, which the approval of the borrowing requirement by the Elected Members and the Minister will enable us to do,” he added.

Members of Galway County Council welcomed the news from Mr Owens that the new social and affordable housing will be provided.

There are approximately 3,200 dwellings currently in the direct ownership of Galway County Council.

According to Cllr Dermot Connolly (SF), there is a huge need for social and affordable housing in East Galway given the numbers that are on the Council housing list.

Mr Conneally said that it was their ambition to provide more affordable housing on sites around the county.

He confirmed that their focus was on the provision of housing on lands that are owned by Galway County Council.

Cllr David Collins (FG) said that there was a commitment given two years ago to provide more social housing and that this was not delivered upon.

He has asked officials to investigate sites that are reasonable to acquire in order to provide affordable housing. Mr Conneally responded by saying that his staff would do this.

While he admitted that it will not resolve the housing crisis across County Galway, it will go a long way towards addressing the problem.

“Our focus at the moment is to deal with the housing issues across the county and that is something we will be addressing.

“We have ambitious plans for the sites that we own and will be progressing with these in the New Year. It is our ambition to provide more affordable housing for those in need,” Mr Conneally added.

Pictured: Liam Conneally, Chief Executive of Galway County Council.