25 September 2003: There is good news on the housing front for the successful applicants who applied for Naas Town Council’s housing schemes of affordable and social housing on the Caragh Road, Naas.
According to the town clerk, work on the snag list has already commenced and the 52 affordable houses will be handed over to the Council by the builder at the end of this month.
Some 38 of the applicants have secured mortgage finance to buy their houses and the remainder are in the progress of doing so.
Of the 63 social housing units, 28 will be ready before Christmas and the balance of 35 in April 2004.
Some people have been waiting for almost a year for their houses to be ready for occupation.
The Council has also advertised a few affordable houses in the McInerney scheme in Mill Lane in Naas at a discount price. “Those applications have been received and are being assessed and coming for approval at the October meeting, if not before,” Mr Kirrane said.
Replying to a query from Cllr Seamie Moore as to the short two-week response time for the Mill Lane houses, Mr Kirrane said the Council was under pressure from McInerney’s as the houses had first to be transferred from the builder to the Council and then on to the two successful applicants.
Cllr Moore asked if the unsuccessful Caragh Road scheme applicants had been offered the Mill Lane houses.
It was explained that they were essentially two different schemes.
Cllr Pat McCarthy pointed out that, while they are much cheaper, the two Mill Lane houses are €20,000 dearer than the Council’s scheme. He said “Every one who unsuccessfully applied for the Caragh Road scheme should have been notified of the Mill Lane houses and given an option. Some may have had a higher income than the criteria for the Council’s had permitted, he said.
Mayor Pat O’Reilly said the town clerk agreed with that.
