THE highest amount Limerick City and County Council has paid to purchase a residential property for local authority or social housing throughout the city or the county over the last 12 months is over half a million euros.
This comes in response to a question from Aontú councillor Sarah Beasley at the October meeting of members of the Metropolitan District.
The figure provided by the Council to Cllr Beasley for the single purchase was €561,708.
The Council told Cllr Beasley that the purchase of the site was made in October of last year by the local authority’s Housing Directorate, with the aim of bringing into use a purpose-designed detached bungalow located in the county.
The acquisition, the Council told the Aontú councilor, was based on an Occupational Therapist’s report provided to the local authority, which confirmed the property’s suitability to meet the needs of a family in Limerick with a dependent who has very complex medical and accessibility needs.
The Council told Cllr Beasley that “the newly built, wheelchair-accessible dwelling was designed in line with universal design and wheelchair accessibility principles, providing an adaptable and high-quality living environment”.
The local authority revealed to the councillor that the home, an “A2 BER-rated, five-bedroom property, is located on a large site” in County Limerick.
The Council went on to explain that other directorates, which would ordinarily be involved in the purchase of housing units by Limerick City and County Council, were not included in the assessment on this occasion.