City Council admits policy on housing halting site families in county only

That’s according to documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act which show that the City Council’s Director of Services for Housing, Dermot Mahon, gave the go-ahead for the purchase of a €400,000 property in Kiltulla, near Carnmore Airport, on the basis that it was acceptable for the family it was intended to house, and that it would provide accommodation for Travellers currently residing at the overcrowded facility on the Curraghline.

In a letter to his County Council counterpart last week, Mr Mahon further clarified that it was their intention to seek and find “a total of up to two properties in Galway County Council’s functional area for families already residing in the county, specifically at Carrowbrowne”.

In records seen by the Connacht Tribune, Mr Mahon states: “There are no other circumstances in which we will acquire outside city boundary so these homes are for Carrowbrowne families only [sic].”

The acquisition of the four-bedroom property has drawn sharp criticism from members of Galway County Council who have hit out at the City Council for ‘over-stepping the mark’ and buying outside its jurisdiction.

In the documentation released by Galway City Council, it is stated that the purchase of the property at Kiltualla is to “meet the physical and welfare needs” of the family for which it is intended.

Internal emails at City Hall show an urgency in early February to get the approval of the Department of Housing, with one exchange outlining how “the vendors are putting pressure on us and we don’t want to lose the sale”.

The sale of the house was closed on March 27, for a total of €388,742, with works to upgrade the property estimated to bring the final figure to around €400,000.