€3.8m Carlow Social Housing Delivered

Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Eoghan Murphy, to open Clúid Housing’s latest housing scheme in Carlow

26 families have received keys to their brand new homes in Sleaty Park View, on Sleaty Street in Carlow Town. They had been waiting five years on average on the social housing waiting list.

After only 13 months in construction, Clúid Housing, in partnership with the developer, Byrne & Byrne Construction Ltd, and Carlow County Council, are delighted to deliver much needed affordable housing to the area. There are currently 1320 people on the Carlow County Council housing waiting list.

Speaking ahead of the launch, Minister Murphy said: “The provision of high-quality housing, across all tenures, is one of the key objectives of Rebuilding Ireland: An Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness. The delivery of these much needed homes in Carlow Town is a tangible example of the importance of partnerships between Approved Housing Bodies, such as Clúid Housing, the local authority, in this case Carlow County Council, and a developer in getting homes built; furthermore, the delivery of these homes demonstrates this Government’s commitment to that objective”.

Sleaty Park View is a mix of two and three-bed houses, with a very high spec finish, energy efficient heating and an A-rated BER. Located right beside the town park, it is within a five-minute walk of Carlow town centre.

Clúid’s New Business Director Fiona Cormican said: “In addition to Sleaty Park View, Clúid has 180 properties in Co. Carlow. We are continually looking for new opportunities to develop further in the county and beyond. We want to partner with developers and local authorities to deliver 2,500 units nationwide over three years. To achieve these numbers requires a coordinated project-led approach to each housing development. All stakeholders, including the developers, financiers, planners and utility providers, need to communicate on each project and each project needs leadership to bring it through the processes and people that make up the system.”

Kathleen Holohan, Chief Executive of Carlow County Council said that Sleaty Park View is “an excellent example of the collaborative approach between Carlow County Council, Clúid Housing, and the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government in delivering much-needed social housing in Carlow Town. This high-quality development provides comfortable and energy-efficient homes for families on the council’s housing list. We wish them all the very best in their new homes”.

Nick Byrne of Byrne & Byrne Construction Ltd said that his company was delighted to have partnered with Clúid on this development: “This was a Developer Design and Build project with Stage Payments. This innovative approach worked very well for us in the progression and completion of the project. Overall, this has been an extremely positive partnership for us with Clúid in Carlow and we look forward to further developing this valued partnership with them. We hope that all the families who are taking up residence in this development will enjoy many wonderful years here”.

The construction of Sleaty Park View cost just under €4 million. Clúid funded the scheme using a government loan of 30% of the total purchase price to leverage a larger bank loan from the Housing Finance Agency (HFA). Clúid will repay those loans using the rent paid by tenants (which is always affordable) and an availability payment from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government.

Clúid Housing is 25 years in existence this year. It is the largest housing association in Ireland, providing over 6,700 high-quality, affordable homes to over 17,000 people in housing need all over Ireland. Housing associations are independent, not-for-profit charities.