CORK County Council has claimed €29.4m for its housing programmes so far this year.

Keith Jones, the council’s director of housing, told members of the Western Division that the amount claimed so far for its capital schemes was an indication of ‘a significant capital expenditure programme for the year ahead’.

He said the figure included €25.5m for the construction of new housing schemes, with the Council’s output expected to be 360 new social housing units in Cork county.

Mr Jones said the developments include construction, turnkey developments, and new development agreements.

During a discussion about the programme in West Cork, Cllr Caroline Cronin (FG) described the quality of Ballydehob’s 12 new housing units as ‘top class.’

However, there was less positive news for Bantry because a 21-unit housing development proposed for Old Barrack Road has been referred to the High Court for a judicial review.

In relation to turnkey units, which are developed by a contractor and handed over to the local authority, Mr Jones said: ‘There are 24 units at The Tannery in Bandon; five in Reenrour East in Bantry; and 34 units under construction at Caherdaniel in Bantry, of which 28 have been completed to date.’

He said there is a high level of construction across Cork county with schemes in Durrus, Clonakilty, Dunmanway, Union Hall, Kinsale and Bandon.

Mr Jones said a development at Meenvane in Schull is expected to start next year, and the Council is also looking at the feasibility of developing a small site on Bere Island.

In terms of affordable housing, he informed the members that sales have been completed on all 20 houses at Allman’s View in Bandon; and that seven sales have been finalised at An Cnocan in Bantry.

In a breakdown of the number of vacant local authority properties, the housing director said there are 14 vacant houses in West Cork out of a total housing stock of 2,087, a figure that represents 0.67%.

He said six are currently under repair; five are under offer; leaving just three where work is out to tender.

Meanwhile, just one single house acquisition has been made so far this year, but Cllr Daniel Sexton (Ind Ire) suggested that a derelict house in Ardfield and Bealad could be acquired and renovated.

Cllr Sexton also noted that the tenants of a St Vincent de Paul development in Clonakilty had moved out and asked when the development would be reopened.

Cllr Danny Collins (Ind Ire) said he had recently requested that eight idle houses at Reendesert in Ballylickey be renovated, but a developer has since begun clearing the site.

With the housing assistance payment now being made to 2,900 households in the county, Cllr Collins said: ‘The new housing legislation isn’t work. There’s a shortage of rental properties and people who are desperate are coming to me on a weekly basis.’