New houses on Barack Street, Carlow turned down four times

THERE have been four refusals to date on the eight new social housing properties on Barrack Street, according to Carlow Co Council’s assistant executive officer for housing, Tadhg Madden.

Mr Madden confirmed the number of refusals of the recently-refurbished houses, which were officially opened by minister for housing James Browne just a few weeks ago, during the housing update at the March meeting of Carlow Municipal District following a question from cllr Fergal Browne.

Cllr Browne asked for the specific figure on the new housing development, referencing a statistic given at a previous meeting that showed there was a 40% refusal rate across the county of social housing units.

“I know we are looking at our housing allocation plan soon, but I will certainly be proposing that, maybe, you be allowed one refusal going forward. I just think it is comical when you see people refusing houses during the middle of a housing crisis,” cllr Browne said.

Cllr Browne also enquired why no-one had moved into the new units yet, describing it as “a bit of a damp squib” given the “big fanfare around opening it”.

In response, Mr Madden said the council would hand over the keys to some of the new residents next week.

Of the eight properties, there are seven two-bed units and one single-bed unit.

The houses, which are allocated by the council according to its housing allocation scheme, are designed to meet high energy efficiency standards and are wheelchair accessible. They will be furnished according to residents’ tastes, with the help of community grants.

The properties had been lying vacant for several years, a prominent example of underused housing stock in the town centre.

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