Council expects work to start on Athlone's largest housing estate "within weeks"

Westmeath County Council management expects work to finally begin on Athlone's largest housing development “within weeks”, a meeting was told last week.

Although a number of previous predictions for when work might start on the 576-unit estate in the Lissywollen area have proven erroneous, Director of Services Jackie Finney said on Monday of last week that the commencement notice for work on the development was anticipated very soon.

Queries relating to a number of housing developments around Athlone were raised with officials at the monthly meeting of Westmeath County Council – along with a plea for more affordable housing provision in the town.

Cllr Frankie Keena asked for an update on the development in Lissywollen, which is to be known as Plovers Wood. He also raised a query on whether the housing association Respond would be taking over some of the houses in order for them to be made available as low-cost rental homes.

Cllr Paul Hogan raised a query on the new link road through the development. He said the management report at the meeting stated that work on the road was expected to commence in the second quarter of this year, but that we are now nearing the end of that second quarter.

“Is there an update in relation to when the road might start?” he asked.

Cllr Hogan also raised the subject of the 95 units earmarked for Cornamaddy, and he then went on to ask about affordable housing provision for Athlone.

While there was a small scheme in the pipeline, he noted, for Dún an Rí, there was, he said, significant demand in the town.

“There are many people that want to avail of the scheme, but there don't seem to be too many coming on stream for the next while,” he said.

Responding to the queries in relation to the progress of the Plovers Wood development, Director of Services Jackie Finney said covenants were still to be agreed and signed off, and that the council and the housing agency were working to finalise this issue.

“We anticipate that the commencement notice would be issued in a matter of weeks,” she said.

Addressing Cllr Hogan's point about the new road, she said that this would also commence as well, once the covenants issue has been sorted. Ms Finney went on to say that the development agreement specifies timeframes, so the pressure was on everybody to keep to those.

On the question of affordable homes for Athlone, she stated that there was a website - affordablehomes.ie - which details any affordable homes available for purchase or cost rental homes around the country.

“That's available to the public to go on and see what properties are available under those two schemes,” she stated, going on to add that the Cornamaddy development has a 2027 target date.

In terms of affordable housing projects for Athlone, Ms Finney said there were no approvals currently in place for anything new.

“But,” she continued, “we are talking to a number of different developers about the possibility of dedicating some of the housing for affordable housing in some of the larger developments.”