17 million for local social housing projects

Three new housing projects with a total investment value of over €17 million will soon commence in County Meath as part of the first phase of the Government’s Social Housing Strategy.
Kells is to get funding to build 39 units at a cost of €7.8 million while Summerhill will benefit from 14 new units at a cost of €2.7 million. Athboy, meanwhile, has been earmarked for 30 new units at a cost of €6.6 million.
The Meath developments form part of a €312 million national direct build investment programme that will see an additional 1,700 social houses occupied nationally by 2017, according to Meath West TD, Ray Butler.

The news comes as Meath county councillors heard at a special meeting last week that just 134 houses would be built in the county between now and 2017 from capital funding handed out by the government.

While there was a broad welcome for the provisional handout of €24.8 million, councillors called for more. They complained that other county councils with lesser housing demands had been given bigger capital allocations.