asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state the reason for the delay in erecting local authority houses at Balgriffin, Raheny and Portmarnock, County Dublin.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Dublin Housing Schemes.
Tenders for 14 houses at Balgriffin were received by the housing authority, but were considered excessive. The plans for the scheme are now being altered in an effort to reduce the cost. It is understood from the housing authority that no houses require to be built under the Labourers Acts in the Raheny area of the county.
Is the Minister aware that the delay in this case is due to the fact that the town planning section in the Department of Local Government took exception to the erection of 22 houses on this site and ordered, instructed or advised that 14 houses should be built instead purely on the grounds that 22 houses would spoil the scenery?
The position is that approval was given in January last to the acquisition by the Dublin County Council of a site of 3½ acres of land at Balgriffin on which 13 unfit cottages now stand. The original intention of the council was to place 14 houses on the site and to demolish the existing dwellings, the occupants of which would be rehoused in the new cottages.
Plans for 14 houses were approved by the Department, but the lowest tender of Messrs. Dunne Bros., in the sum of £19,364, was considered excessive due to high development costs. In order to reduce the all-in cost per house a new lay-out was prepared for 16 two-storey corporation type houses and six single-storey houses and was submitted to the Department for sanction, but in a letter to the council it was stated that the Minister would not approve of this lay-out. The scheme was also discussed between the council's officials and the Department's staff and it was decided to redesign the scheme with a view to reducing the cost. Officers of the Department accompanied the housing director and county council engineers on an inspection of the site on the 22nd of this month.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state the reasons for the delay in the acquisition of housing sites at Portmarnock, County Dublin.
The delay in the acquisition of the housing sites at Portmarnock is due to the difficulties encountered by the county council in obtaining title documents to certain portions of the lands. I understand that the council is doing everything possible to expedite the matter.