Council asked why homes bought for N5 Mayo project remain vacant

A councillor has demanded to know why homes acquired for the building of the new N5 are still lying vacant in the middle of a housing crisis.

Councillor Michael Kilcoyne has asked council management if it is aware there are people out there who have no homes and no place to sleep.

It is a clear dereliction of duty that the properties remain vacant, he said, while also highlighting the number of voids in the council's own housing stock at a time when the homelessness rate continues to rise.

Councillor Ger Deere said he had checked, and he has brought this matter up 11 times.

One property in particular, a former B&B, had eight or nine bedrooms, but was lying idle, with buachallans growing out of it, and it would cost a fortune to do up.

“This is crazy stuff in the middle of a housing crisis,” said Councillor Deere.

Director of services Tom Gilligan said funding approval has been received for two properties, with tenders returned, and it's hoped to get them back into use by the end of the year.