Rethink needed on €1,639 a month affordable homes in Mayo

A mortgage of up to €1,639 a month is not affordable for young couples, a Castlebar councillor has hit out in relation to an affordable housing scheme in the town.

The possible costs of homes in a proposed 35-unit scheme in Snugboro range from €260,000 to €300,000, with mortgages coming in from between €1,370 to €1,600, Councillor Harry Barrett highlighted at a housing strategic policy committee (SPC) meeting.

“This is not affordable,” he reiterated for a second time at council meetings.

And people between a €34,000 to €59,000 income were being locked out of having a home, being above the social housing threshold and not earning enough to apply for a mortgage for one of these properties.

He told management: “I don't think it is affordable for young people in this county, whether you like to hear it or not. We don't have the wages in many cases to aspire to this.”

Pressure has to be put on government to bring prices down so young people can aspire to having a home.

Director of services Tom Gilligan referred to some public discussion on the matter, which he called 'unhelpful'.

But Councillor Barrett said at no point was he critical of the council, and he was well within his rights to question the affordability element, saying young couples would be made poorer as a result of the cost.

His colleague Councillor John Caulfield supported his view on affordability, saying we don't have the jobs to sustain such mortgages, and then throw in costs such as childcare.

It needs to be looked at again, he said.

The other reality for some is that in Westport, a basic home costs half-a-million euro, said Councillor Peter Flynn.

The Snugboro scheme is private developer led and Councillor Barrett requested figures on what it would cost for the council to develop a scheme on its own land, with its own staff, and a universal design.

* Published under the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme