Work to tackle 'ongoing issues' with some Battery Heights roofs

Maintenance works on the roofs of various blocks of houses in Battery Heights will take place during 2026, Westmeath County Council has said.

During a presentation on local authority housing issues at the February meeting of Athlone-Moate Municipal District, Executive Engineer Brian Goode said €732,228.50 has been allocated by Westmeath County Council for routine house maintenance in the district, and €773,541.50 dedicated for planned maintenance of residential properties this year.

The Executive Engineer stated that €400,000, the largest allocation of planned maintenance funding was for the replacement of windows and doors in social housing in the district, with "progress being made on an annual basis".

"There are ongoing issues with the existing roofs to various blocks of houses in Battery Heights and plans are in place to continue this work in 2026. These planned maintenance works are expected to cost €150,000 this year," Mr Goode said.

The meeting heard that Westmeath County Council has certain maintenance and repair responsibilities for 2,596 housing units, of which 1,065 houses are located in the Athlone-Moate Municipal District.

The housing representative stated that typical repairs to the district's housing stock included plumbing and heating, chimney work, replacement of doors and windows and the maintenance of electrical faults.

The Executive Engineer also confirmed that a figure would be allocated to Old Persons Dwellings (OPD) maintenance, as "some dwellings have an unmaintained appearance and could do with an uplift".

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme