Land agency 'is not solution' for Mayo housing need
Mayo County Council Chief Executive Kevin Kelly said the agency would not solve Mayo's housing need.
A local councillor is calling on Mayo County Council to work with the Land Development Agency (LDA) to build housing in Mayo, describing the LDA as the biggest housing developer currently operating in the state.
At the October meeting of Mayo County Council, Cllr Harry Barrett welcomed the fact that the LDA is interested in developing 140 houses in Ballina, describing it as a start, but said he wanted the agency to also look at land in every municipal district in Mayo.
Cllr Barrett told council management: “The LDA is one of the biggest state agencies and is getting bigger all the time in providing social and affordable homes, so the onus is on us to get involved with it. They can provide the finance and the legal [advice] and work universally, if we can provide the land.
"I am getting calls from people sleeping on sofas - including a woman on a couch for four months - who ask me is there any update about new housing and I have to say no. The homeless figures are increasing and it’s a failure we did not build enough social and affordable houses for the last 40 years. The LDA is the first step this country has taken to get involved in the sector again and I want to see it operating in every town.”
However, council chief executive Kevin Kelly cautioned that the LDA is not the solution to Mayo’s housing needs, telling Cllr Barrett: “We have had discussions with the agency and made known we are open to working with them and they are invited to a Housing Strategic Policy Committee meeting in November.
"I would caution, however, that it is not going to be the solution, because while the LDA is a big organisation with a lot of staff, it is looking for big sites and state-owned sites. Even the one in Ballina is not a typical site [located near St Patrick’s Church on Slí Ectra Road], as it is not level ground or easy to be developed, so I would also caution around timeframes.
"In terms of the council’s own land, we have pursued very good policy of adding to our land stock but unfortunately this also means we will pay €340,000 in Residential Zoned Land Tax for that privilege. With the land we have bought we are developing it and bringing it forward and we don’t really have other large landbanks.”
- Published as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
