WEST Limerick councillors have called for immediate action on six derelict houses in the district, which have been unoccupied for a number of years.
Speaking at this month’s area meeting, Fine Gael councillor Liam Galvin asked for details on the vacant social housing units which, he said, Mayor John Moran has responsibility for.
He hit out that these particular properties are unoccupied “for a large period of time”, and sought information on plans to bring them back into use.
“It beggars belief. One of these properties is boarded up at least five years,” Cllr Galvin fumed.
The Abbeyfeale man was informed that the district office is still awaiting a response from the Mayor on details of his plans for the empty housing stock.
Fianna Fáil councillor Michael Collins pointed out that as the full Council recently invoked a Section 139 in relation to plans for modular units on the Boro Park in Janesboro, there were now other options now available to them.
“It might be a Section 140 for this to deal with this issue,” Cllr Collins suggested.
This move would allow elected Council members to pass a resolution requiring the local authority to perform a specific executive function.
Director of Newcastle West Municipal District, Stephane Duclot, vowed to come back to members at next month’s meeting with more information on the six vacant units.
“You’re afraid of Section 140s,” Cllr Collins replied.
Mayor John Moran has deemed housing his number one priority, outlining plans for Limerick Council to look to Central Europe and renting homes using a model common in Vienna. Limerick’s first citizen dedicated €1million of an allocated €6.4m in annual funding to housing across the county.
However, Fine Gael councillor John Sheahan took the view that Mayor Moran is getting “bogged down” with his ‘Vienna Model’ objectives over the original grant funding to do up vacant properties and put them back on the open market.
“The issue with that is, some of these houses are not achieving the market value. So, if that is the case, I would propose that if the Mayor doesn’t get these sorted by the June meeting that we take over these as our own housing stock,” Cllr Sheahan insisted.
Cllr Collins supported this call, deeming Cllr Sheahan’s proposal a “very positive move”. He asked the local authority for advance notice of the next meeting of the Council’s plans so they can prepare their decision at the June meeting.
– Local Democracy Reporting Scheme