Ennis Auctioneer Says New Builds In Clare Slowed Down By Labour Shortage

Photo (c) Brian A Jackson via Canva.com

An Ennis auctioneer says the number of new homes built in Clare has been slowed down by the labour shortage in the construction sector.

The latest figures from the CSO show that the county has suffered a decrease of almost a quarter in the number of homes that were completed in the third quarter of this year when compared to the same time last year.

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From July to September 86 new dwellings were completed in Clare – a drop of almost 25% on the same period in 2020.

The construction industry ground to a halt early in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and work only resumed for residential builds in mid-April.

However, Ennis Auctioneer Cormac O’Sullivan from DNG O’Sullivan Hurley says further delays to the resumption of house builds were caused by a hesitancy to submit planning applications during lockdown and predicts normal activity won’t resume until mid-2022.

Adding to this is the labour shortage currently being experienced within the construction sector.

Auctioneer Cormac O’Sullivan says the government to build 27,500 homes next year is unrealistic.

Meanwhile, an estate agent in the county town insists competition between social housing and private housing is a huge problem for the market.

David Costello, auctioneer at Costello Estate Agents says developers are choosing the lower risk attached to developing tens of social houses for the local authority rather than trying to sell the same number of units to individuals.

David says this is crippling first time buyers – particularly in Ennis.