A meeting focused on developing policies for the betterment of rural Clare has heard that towns and villages are losing vital services because of an exodus of young people.
Local elected representatives are calling for renewed urgency around the housing crisis in the county following Clare County Council’s unveiling of its plan to boost supply and make homes more affordable.
Presenting at Clare’s Rural Development Strategic Policy Committee this week, the local authority’s Senior Executive Officer with responsibility for housing activation and delivery, Sineád O’Donoghue, has revealed that the council’s housing plan is built around “activating supply” and “supporting people”.
She says the steps they’ll be taking to increase supply include removing structural barriers to homebuilding, unlocking land and reforming planning.
Additionally, she says, they’ll work on delivering infrastructure, creating conditions for investment, boosting construction capacity and adopting modern methods of construction to achieve this aim.
Corofin Fianna Fáil Councillor Joe Killeen, who sits on the Rural Development SPC, says he’s seeing proposed developments in rural areas fall by the wayside, due to a lack of vital infrastructure.
When it comes to supporting people, it’s stated that the one of the local authority’s key objectives is to make homes accessible and affordable, particularly to those most at risk of homelessness.
The plan also sets out to address the homelessness crisis, increase social and affordable housing output, improve rental security and support homeownership in order to revitalise towns and villages.
The council is looking to build 167 social and affordable homes this year, but claims it’s on track to deliver 232.
Clare Rural Development SPC Chairperson, Maghera Fianna Fáil Councillor Pat Hayes, says communities will perish if homes aren’t made more affordable.
Listen to the full audio here
