Housing affordability hits a crisis point in Mayo

HOUSING affordability in Mayo has reached a crisis point.

So much so that Mayo County Council convened a special meeting where the plight especially of people who fall between the cracks - too well off for social housing, too poor to buy - was highlighted.

'A sad state of affairs' is how Councillor Christy Hyland summed up one enquiry he received from a young couple earning €50,000 who could not afford to buy, with the man wondering about giving up his employment to qualify for a council house so as to get a roof over their heads.

Employers in his town - Westport - are feeling the impact too, with one company having job offers rejected as potential employees could not find anywhere to live and would not qualify for planning out the country being 'non-natives'.

Mayo County Council is drawing up an application for an affordable housing scheme at the old convent site in Westport.

More houses could be freed up in the town, suggested Councillor Hyland, if capital gains tax was addressed on sales of holiday homes built with tax breaks in the 1990s.

Currently, those property sales would be hit with a 33% tax bill. He suggested there should be some relief given if they were sold to first time buyers.

"We have a crisis and nothing is being done in real terms to address the problem," he stated.

Addressing town centre dereliction to bring people back into Mayo's towns and villages was touched on by numerous members of the council at the online meeting.

The authority has 78 such units with the department for funding and is pursuing a number of other site investigations.

Councillor Michael Kilcoyne, however, highlighted how only four sites were acquired in recent years, and he asked why 'a single penny' had not been collected from levies on such sites.

The delivery of social and affordable units in Mayo under Part V - where 10% of private developments are given to the council - was described as 'shameful' by Councillor Peter Flynn, with just 11 units provided in the last six years.

Part V allocations are set to be increased - 10% social and 10% for affordable housing.

Issues concerning the labour market within the construction industry itself were highlighted, with Councillor Donna Sheridan stressing the importance of apprenticeships, with huge employment opportunities in the trades.

The whole question of what is 'affordable' was touched on by Councillor Gerry Coyle.

He had made enquiries and you would not build any house for less than €200,000.

"That is the problem," he said.