€314k cost cited for each unit of social housing in Lissywollen
Provisional figures submitted by the developer of the Lissywollen housing project placed a €54 million construction cost on the 174 social housing units due to be acquired by Westmeath County Council.
That sum, which was listed in a planning document submitted to An Bord Pleanála, would see taxpayers pay an average of €314,000 for each of the social housing units due to be delivered on the site just outside Athlone's town centre.
The 576-unit strategic housing development was granted permission by the planning board earlier this month.
Alanna Roadbridge Developments Ltd had submitted its application for the project in conjunction with the council, and the two parties agreed that around 30% of the total of 576 residential units would be earmarked as social housing.
The social housing would be identical in design to the private housing units, and would be spread throughout the development.
It would consist of 78 houses (27 two-bed, 37 three-bed, and 14 four-bed), 67 apartments (26 one-bed, 32 two-bed, and 9 three-bed) and 29 duplexes (4 two-bed and 25 three-bed).
Costings submitted in a 'Part V Proposals' document listed a pre-VAT construction cost of €48.2 million for the 174 social units, or €277,000 per unit.
With the addition of €6.5 million in VAT, the costings rose to €54,759,452, or €314,709 per unit.
Alanna Roadbridge noted in the document that these costings were "based on the typical cost of construction at time of the application."
It said that, following the awarding of planning permission, all costs, values and specific locations of the social housing units would be "subject to review and final agreement" with the local authority.
The planning documentation included a letter from Westmeath County Council Director of Services Mark Keaveney, dated February 8, 2021, which confirmed that the local authority had agreed to purchase 30% of the overall residential units as social housing.
The Westmeath Independent contacted Alanna Homes and Westmeath County Council for a comment on the figures, but at the time of writing we had not received a response.
Local councillor Aengus O'Rourke said last week that it would be premature to comment on the costs involved, given that contracts between the developer and the local authority had not yet been finalised.
When asked for a reaction to An Bord Pleanála's decision to grant planning permission for the strategic housing development in Lissywollen, he said many of the views that he had expressed about both this scheme and the 426-unit Castlestar project in Coosan had been "cast aside" by the planning authority when issuing its verdict.
"I do see there are some conditions laid down by the board in terms of how the ('Lissywollen Avenue') road would be laid out and demarcated for pedestrians and cycling, and so on.
"I'm relieved to see that there will be quite a bit of focus on how that road will be treated from a safety point of view," said Cllr O'Rourke.
He added that he had ongoing concerns about the volume, density and design of the Lissywollen houses and apartments.
"I wonder, long term, if they are sustainable, are they realistic, and do they genuinely meet the needs of the people? In the immediate sense, perhaps yes, but long-term I have my doubts," he commented.