Mayo needs '7,000 more family homes'
Demand for houses in the county remains high.
Mayo needs “another 7,000 family homes urgently”, it has been claimed.
Independent election candidate Harry Barrett said a leaked report from the Housing Commission reveals the deficit in the county.
The commission pointed to "ineffective decision-making and reactive policymaking, where risk aversion dominates". It called for a "radical strategic reset of housing policy", and estimated an underlying housing deficit of up to 256,000 homes across the country.
"Based on this leaked report from the Housing Commission, Mayo is roughly 7,000 homes short of what it should have to house its people and this is having a shocking effect on young families,” said Mr Barrett, who is running in the Castlebar electoral area after narrowly missing out on a seat in 2019.
"I am meeting families who are suffering under the weight of the rent that they have to pay, yet they cannot complain because the shortage of long-term lets in the county means that they have nowhere to go and no option but to pay.
"I am meeting young adults stuck at home unable to leave the family home and parents who are upset when their sons and daughters have emigrated to live in other countries due to the lack of cheap accommodation.
"This report now puts a number on the shortage of homes in this country and I am very mindful of the damaging effects of this shortage on families and children,” Mr Barrett stated.
Mr Barrett said the report highlights the need for incentives in Mayo towns in order to deal with dereliction, urban development and building on brownfield sites.
Mayo estate agent Gerard O’Toole told the that supply issues mean that demand in Mayo for homes shows no signs of abating.
“Demand really hasn’t fallen at all,” said Mr O’Toole. “We have been in an environment where we had significant inflation in the wake of Covid and various other things that have led to interest rates being pushed to their highest rates in 20 years. Those that work in industry would have expected that to weaken demand but despite that demand has remained consistent. It surprised us a little bit," he added.
Mr O'Toole said the lack of supply is a major issue.
“We are seeing it really across the board. The possibility of remote working has been a significant driver of demand in regional locations.
"At the same time, supply has been really, really restricted,” he added.
