CITY SITES TO BE RETURNED TO GOVERNMENT SCHEME FOR COST REASONS

Date Published: 25-Sep-2012

A proposal to return two city sites at Ballyburke to the government Land Aggregation Scheme was approved by Councillors last evening following lengthly debate [Sept 24].

The first site was subject to a CPO process and comprises 4.3 hectares of residential land and was funded by a HFA loan amounting to 14 million euro.

The second is an adjoining point 23 hectare site and was purchased by way of a loan of 2.25 million euro.

Each was purchased in 2006.

City Councillors were warned by Housing Senior Executive Francis Mullarkey that both loans are due for redemption next year [2013] and that the only means of achieving this was through the Land Aggregation Scheme.

She offered reassurance that the local authority will in future aim to get it back for a 'build to lease' scheme and that the lands will not be touched without prior consultation.

Concerns about nearby school road access were raised but officials advised this would be protected.

Cllr Catherine Connolly was one of many members to raise concerns about returning the land at a time when the social housing waiting list in Galway stands at over 4 thousand.

However Fianna Fail Cllr Peter Keane told Galway Bay fm news that the local authority has no other option but to opt for the scheme given its current financial situation.