Clare is set to be rubber stamped in an expanded Defective Concrete Blocks scheme by Cabinet this morning.
The Government is set to add both this county and Limerick to the initiative, which is expected to cost an additional 500 million euro.
Housing Minister Darragh O Brien visited Clare last August and met with homeowners in this county who’d been impacted by pyrite.
Instead of weeks, it’s been nearly a year – but it now appears Clare County Council, along with Limerick, is to be added to the Defective Concrete Blocks redress scheme following a Cabinet meeting this morning.
Currently only counties Donegal and Mayo are covered, which has been the source of much controversy over the last number of months.
Clare has potentially the highest pyrite incidence rate nationwide, with the local authority admitting back in April that as many as 600 homes here may be impacted by the mineral.
Ballina-based engineer Simon Beale and Associates found what was described as ‘irrefutable evidence’ of pyrite in the blockwork of a number of houses in this county, in a report published last month.
The extent of the damage on some houses in Clare is so severe that it’s understood demolition is the only option for many of them in spite of today’s news.
It’s believed adding Clare and Limerick to the scheme may cost 500 million euro, bringing the total bill for taxpayers to an estimated €2.7 billion.
