Sitemap | Privacy Statement

 
 
- Connolly Park, Tubbercurry – Completed in 2008

PART V

In recent years where house ownership has become more difficult for households to achieve due to the increasing price of housing, Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, has proved an invaluable source of affordable housing providing Sligo County Council with assistance in delivering the Housing Capital Programme.

The Housing Strategy states that 20% of eligible sites, which are the subject of new residential development, are to be set aside for the development of social and affordable housing.

During 2008, a substantial number of properties became available for Social Housing in the following developments:

9 no. Dorrins Strand, Strandhill (social) 
6 no Hawthorns, Carrowroe (social)

Construction was at an advanced stage in other sites such as Aylesbury  Park and Ard Laighne Coolaney.

PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP

The Sligo Local Authorities have recently put in place a Procurement and Project Management Team. The aim of the team is to assist in the procurement of services and projects on behalf of the Sligo Local Authorities and to oversee the project management of specific capital works in both Sligo County and City.

The team is currently involved in Housing PPP projects in Carney and Bellanode. The Carney Housing scheme is being piloted in the County as a PPP (Public Private Partnership) project and will see the development of 5.3 acres of County Council owned land into a mix of social, affordable and private housing together with some possible small scale commercial development and community facilities.

HOUSING MAINTENANCE AND ESTATE IMPROVEMENTS

Since the beginning of the Planned Maintenance Programme in 2002, much progress has been made in the general upkeep of Council housing stock. Works typically include replacement of worn out doors, windows, fascias and soffits. The emergency repair funds are used to carry out repairs to housing stock other than those repairs listed in planned maintenance and deemed eligible in accordance with the Tenant Hand Book. The Council spent a sum of €510,000 under planned maintenance and emergency repairs in 2008.

The Council allocated a sum of €50,000 in 2008 towards Environmental Improvements works.

RENTS

Rents payable on Local Authority dwellings are assessed under a Differential Rents Scheme. A Differential Rents Scheme means that the rent is based on the income of the household with deductions in respect of any dependent children in the house. During the year, rents were reviewed to bring them into line with trends in the economic climate.

HOUSING LOANS

People who wish to purchase or build a house but cannot get a loan from a building society, bank, etc. may be eligible for a loan from a local authority. The maximum house purchase/construction loan is 95% of the cost to a maximum of €185,000.

SHARED OWNERSHIP SCHEME

This scheme offers home ownership in a number of steps to those who cannot afford full ownership in one step in the traditional way. The applicant will initially acquire a share of between 40% and 75% of the house and rents the remaining percentage from Local Authority with the intention of purchasing the remaining equity from the Council within a 25 year period. Late 2008 saw an upsurge in interest in this scheme due to the squeezing of credit with private lenders.

HOME CHOICE LOANS

Home Choice Loans is a mortgage provided through a number of local authorities for First Time buyers who cannot get sufficient finance from a bank or building society.

Home Choice Loan will provide up to 92% of the market value of the house purchased.

The maximum loan amount will be €285,000. The loan is a normal Capital and Interest bearing mortgage which is repaid on a monthly basis.

The mortgage term will be for a maximum of 30 years and will only be available for newly built homes.

This is only the introduction stage of this new loan scheme.

TENANT PURCHASE

Persons who have been tenants of a local authority house for a period of at least one year may apply to purchase their rented house outright or by means of Shared Ownership under the Tenant Purchase Scheme. The purchase price will be the market value of the house in its existing state of repair and condition, less various discounts. The applicant wishing to purchase their home should seek a mortgage from a financial institution. In 2008, 6 tenants purchased their houses from Sligo County Council under the Tenant Purchase Scheme. 

IMPROVEMENT WORKS IN LIEU OF RE-HOUSING

This Scheme allows Sligo County Council to improve or extend privately owned houses, occupied or intended to be occupied, by an approved applicant for housing as an alternative to the provision of Local Authority Housing. Sligo County Council pays the full cost of the works and the applicant then makes repayment on the amount. These repayments are calculated in a similar manner to the Differential Rent Scheme and apply for a period of 15 years.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

4 no dwelling at Ard Laighne, Coolaney, were sold in the traditional fashion i.e. Sligo County Council initially acquired the completed properties from the developer and subsequently sold these properties on to suitably qualified applicants.

9 no. units at Dorrins Strand, Strandhill were dealt with through the new mechanism of “Direct Sales” whereby the approved applicant purchases the property directly from the developer:

Construction is at an advanced stage at sites known as Carbury Cove, Sea Road, Aylesbury Park.

ESTATE MANAGEMENT

The role of Estate Management Officer involves providing continued support to Council tenants via pre-tenancy training, facilitating the setting up of Resident Associations and assisting them with the preparation and implementation of Estate Action Plans. The Estate Management Officer also provided a communication link with Council officials regarding housing issues that tenants may have, e.g. maintenance, transfers, etc. and provide a valuable service to both tenants and Council by being a constant presence on estates to deal with any estate management issues that may arise on the ground.

ENVIRONMENTAL ENHANCEMENT

Sligo County Council introduced an Estate Enhancement Scheme for local authority housing estates in the County in 2007 and was successful in securing partial funding of €155,000, over the lifetime of the Scheme, from the Department of the Environment, Heritage & Local Government under the Sustainable Communities Fund. Designed as an annual programme, the Scheme will provide investment for 15 estates over a period of three years 2007-2009.

The objectives of the Scheme are as follows:

• To promote an enhanced quality of life within the associated local authority housing estates.
• To improve the environment of the estate.
• To improve the aesthetics of local authority housing estates.
• To maximise the potential of green areas within the estates.

The Council spent a sum of €100,000 on Environmental Enhancement works in 2008 to local authority estates under a programme running from 2007 to 2009. Works were carried out at:

• Kiernan Avenue, Collooney
• Pine Grove, Grange.
• Woodlawns Enniscrone,
• Atlantic View Strandhill,
• Gormley Villas, Bunninadden,
• Orchard Grove, Carney,
• Cloonshanbally Culfadda
• Riverstown
• Bruach Na hAbhainn Coolaney
• Courthouse Drive, Grange
• Castle Heights, Easkey

Typical works undertaken as part of the scheme include landscaping, painting, provision of garden furniture, rehabilitation and cleaning up of green areas. In 2008, there was also provision made for extra car parking spaces at Atlantic View in Strandhill.

Outcomes:

• The investment in the estates will have a positive impact on the visual appearance and physical environment of the estate and create an aesthetically pleasant and desirable residential environment.
• The capital investment in the estates will act as a catalyst to those in the community to continue to maintain and improve their estates.
• In many communities local infrastructure works have provided the impetus, and have been the forerunners to, a wider range of local development activities and projects. In this regard, community infrastructural works are the catalyst both to an improved local physical fabric and wider local socio-economic development.

NEW GRANTS SCHEMES

Housing Adaptation Grant Scheme for People with a Disability The Housing Adaptation Grant Scheme for People with a Disability is available to assist in the carrying out of works which are reasonably considered necessary for the purpose of rendering a house more suitable for the accommodation of a person with a disability who has an enduring physical, sensory, mental health or intellectual impairment. The type of works allowable under the scheme include the provision of:

• Access ramps,
• Downstairs toilet facilities
• Stair lifts
• Accessible showers
• Adaptations to facilitate wheelchair access
• Extensions
• Any other works which are reasonably considered necessary for the purpose of rendering a house more suitable for the accommodation of a person with a disability.

The level of grant aid available is determined on the basis of gross household income and can be between 30% - 95% of the approved cost of the works.

Mobility Aids Housing Grant Scheme

The Mobility Aids Housing Grant is available to cover a basic suite of works to address mobility problems, primarily, but not exclusively, associated with ageing. The works aided under the scheme include:

• Grab Rails
• Access Ramps
• Level Access Showers
• Stairs-lifts
• Other minor works deemed necessary to facilitate the mobility needs of a member of a household.

The effective maximum grant is €6,000 or 100% of the cost of the works, whichever is the lesser. The grant is available to households whose gross annual household income does not exceed €30,000.

Scheme of Housing Aid for Older People

The Scheme of Housing Aid for Older People is available to assist older people living in poor housing conditions to have necessary structural repairs or improvements. The type of works grant aided under the scheme include:

• Structural repairs or improvements
• Re-wiring
• Repairs to/replacement of windows and doors
• Provision of heating, water and sanitary services
• Dry lining

The level of grant aid available is determined on the basis of gross household income and can be between 30% - 100% of the approval cost of the works.

VOLUNTARY HOUSING

Voluntary Housing is provided by non-profit independent organisations that provide rented houses for people who cannot afford to buy their own houses or specific groups such as the elderly, homeless, people with special needs or disabilities. A recipient of a Voluntary house must be registered on Sligo County Council’s housing list, however, while the tenant enjoys all the rights of a County Council tenant they are unable to avail of a tenant purchase on this house.

TRAVELLER ACCOMMODATION

Sligo County Council carried out an assessment of Traveller Accommodation Needs that was completed in September 2008. This Assessment looked at the needs of families resident in Sligo County who are seeking accommodation in various forms, e.g. group housing, standard local authority housing, traveller halting sites etc. This assessment, and updates done through 2008, will form the basis of a new Traveller Accommodation Programme to be prepared in 2009.

Sligo Local Authorities’ Housing Sections are leading the Accommodation sub-group of the Inter-agency network and are working closely with its partners from Sligo Traveller Support Group, Sligo Leader Partnership Company and the HSE on agreed actions to improve the accommodation conditions of the Traveller community in Sligo.

ASSESSMENT OF HOUSING NEEDS

Local Authorities are required under Section 9 of the Housing Act 1988 to undertake an assessment of need for local authority housing accommodation every three years and this was required to be completed by 31st March 2008. Up to date information was obtained on each applicant’s housing situation, household composition and income in order for the assessment to be completed. The results of the needs assessment provides Sligo County Council with an up-to-date position on need and will enable this Authority to plan future investment programmes.

The Assessment of Need for Housing 2008 was carried out as follows:

On 4th January 2008 all applicants on the housing list were sent a letter indicating that the 2008 assessment was being carried out and the following documentation needed to be completed and returned to the housing office.

• Additional information application form
• Certificate of income
• Interview declaration
• Affidavit re separation

A number of reminder letters were sent to all applicants who failed to return details. However some applicants, when contacted, wished their name to be removed from the housing list as they had bought a house or had moved out of the county. Any applicant who failed to reply by the end of March 2008 was removed from the housing list.

Once all information was returned each file was looked at in detail and each applicant was categorised based on inspections and interviews which had been carried out by members of staff.

However when the information was returned to the Housing Office it showed an increase in the number of households in need of social housing support and a significant variation between the different categories of need. There showed an substantial increase in the category for the special needs (older people and people with a disability) households.

The results of the Assessment of Housing Needs will shape the funding of Sligo County Council in the future and the housing solutions provided by Local Government. A number of new initiatives will also be introduced during the lifetime of the assessment to best provide for the accommodation needs of the people of Sligo.