The entrance to the Toorvalley housing estate in Moate. The council is to consider purchasing the unfinished part of the estate.

Council could acquire unfinished part of Moate estate

Westmeath County Council is to consider purchasing the unfinished part of the Toorvalley housing estate in Moate, after being urged to do so in order to improve the estate's appearance and deliver affordable housing.

Cllr Tom Farrell asked the local authority to take out a compulsory purchase order (CPO) on the unfinished area of the estate, which is situated on the Ballymore Road in Moate.

Speaking at this month's meeting of the Athlone Moate Municipal District, Cllr Farrell said it was his understanding that planning permission had originally been granted for 50 houses in Toorvalley.

He said there were currently 27 occupied houses in the estate, along with nine unoccupied houses, seven of which were "in poor condition". He added that foundations of some form were in place for the remaining 14 unbuilt houses.

"The residents there are in no man's land at the moment, and they are hoping something can be done as soon as possible," said Cllr Farrell.

"We have a housing shortage and, with all of the different agencies that are mad to build houses, I think this would be an ideal estate that could be finished to provide affordable houses for people to buy."

He added that the location of the estate was perfect.

A written response from council management to Cllr Farrell stated that the unfinished element of the Toorvalley estate was "negatively impacting on the residential amenity of the residents and requires resolution."

It added: "In the absence of appropriate action by the developer/owner in recent years, the council will now consider all of the options available, including the compulsory purchase of the lands."

Cllr John Dolan also spoke in favour of Cllr Farrell's call for the council to acquire the unfinished part of the estate, saying this was "a no-brainer".

"We are looking for sites, we are looking to build houses, and here's a ready-made site. I think we probably owe it to the people who purchased houses there," he said.

Cllr Dolan described the unfinished area of Toorvalley as a legacy of the Celtic Tiger.

"The Celtic Tiger is a long way gone, and I think it's time we started to deal with it," he said.

The discussion concluded with Cllr Farrell asking what the next step would be in the process of the council potentially acquiring the site.

"The first step would be to attempt to engage with the owner, and see whether or not there is a willingness there to engage with the council on it," replied council Director of Services, Barry Kehoe.

"Thereafter, we would look at the various options available to the council and see which one is most suitable. So it will take a little while to assess."

He added the local authority was also examining two other possible compulsory purchases that had been proposed by councillors. These related to the old shop in Castledaly, and a house in Kilmacoo Lane in Athlone.

"We are looking at all three to see how we might progress them," concluded Mr Kehoe.