Mayo social housing targets to be hiked in bold statement of intent

Mayo social housing targets are set to be hiked in a bold statement of intent by the incoming government, The Connaught Telegraph has learned.

The Department of Housing is expected to be in touch with senior county officials of the council 'within days' to increase the existing objective of 1,000 new local authority homes by 2027 under the Housing for All programme.

The move is expected to involve adjusting existing county and municipal district development plans to raise the amounts of lands zoned for both social and private housing developments.

This in spite of the fact that the municipal districts in Ballina, Castlebar and Westport had already been instructed by the Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR) to delete material alterations made to Local Area Plans in respect of 'new residential' zonings.

While setting new targets is regarded in many political circles as a positive step, meeting the goals is an entirely different matter, statistics have shown.

Mayo was set a target of 151 new social and affordable homes in 2023 but only succeeded in building just 61. Although figures are not yet published in respect of last year, the indications are the 157 target will not be reached either.

There is in excess of 1,250 people currently on the housing waiting lists in Mayo.

Castlebar Fine Gael Councillor Cyril Burke has welcomed the heightened focus being taken by the new government in respect of housing delivery. "It's unquestionably the number one issue for our county and there is a huge responsibility to deliver," he said.

However, Castlebar Fianna Fáil Councillor Blackie Gavin said the focus on new housing must also be matched by a significant investment in infrastructure, most notably the sewerage network.

"The county town is close to breaking point in that respect and the situation cannot be ignored any longer.

"We all want more housing, of course we do. But homes cannot be built in isolation to other amenities that are severely challenged," he added.