31 new homes officially opened in County Wicklow by Cathaoirleach Cllr. Aoife Flynn Kennedy, alongside Darragh O’Brien TD, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
Friday, 17th May 2024
Yesterday, Thursday 16th May, 31 new homes in two housing estates in County Wicklow in Wicklow Town and Rathnew were officially opened by Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council, Cllr. Aoife Flynn Kennedy, alongside Darragh O’Brien TD, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Also in attendance was Cathaoirleach of Wicklow Municipal District, Cllr. Irene Winters.
In Liam Kavanagh Park, Wicklow, 6 two-bed homes and 4 three-bed homes, all of which will be allocated in the next few weeks, were officially unveiled.
Meanwhile in Merry Meeting Phase Two Rathnew, 16 two-bed homes and 5 three-bed homes were opened. These houses will also be allocated to new occupants over the course of the next few weeks.
The provision of these homes is among many schemes being developed in Wicklow under Wicklow County Council’s Building and Supply Programme. All the houses are highly energy efficient, achieving a BER of A3. The majority of homes will also use high efficiency air to water heat pumps, resulting in low cost in use.
Speaking on the event, Taoiseach Simon Harris said, “I am thrilled that 31 new homes are coming on stream into Wicklow today. This will be of huge benefit to many families and to the community.
We are seeing so much progress on housing and I intend on working night and day to make sure this Government builds more homes and increases homeownership.
500 people a week now are buying their first home and 337 new homes are going to construction every single day. Today’s housing figures show more homes are being built this year in Wicklow than last year. As Taoiseach and as a public representative for the people of Wicklow, I will work tirelessly to keep up the momentum and most importantly ensure that this level of housing development is met by the infrastructural needs of each community.”
Performing the official opening, Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council Cllr. Aoife Flynn Kennedy said: “I recognise the serious challenge we face in terms of housing within Wicklow. A critical focus and priority has been firmly placed on responding to this challenge by Wicklow County Council through the development and implementation of the Social Housing supply programme. Today we officially open two housing estates Liam Kavanagh Park in Wicklow and Merry Meeting View in Rathnew and this marks the first of many official openings to come. Wicklow County Council vigorously continues to progress its development programme under the Rebuilding Ireland banner.”
Commenting on the proceedings, Cathaoirleach of Wicklow Municipal District, Cllr. Irene Winters said, “It is a pleasure to be here today at the official openings of these two estates and in particular to welcome the Kavanagh Family to the opening of Liam Kavanagh Park, which has been named as a tribute to the late Liam Kavanagh who served tirelessly for the people of Wicklow during his time in the Dail.”
Speaking at the opening, Minister Darragh O’Brien said, “I’m delighted to be in Rathnew and Wicklow Town today to see the wonderful homes being delivered by Wicklow County Council. Home building starts have surged in recent months with work starting on over 18,000 new homes nationally last month. In Wicklow, 599 new homes were commenced in April which is significantly up on the same period last year. This positive momentum wouldn’t be possible without a strong input from local authorities.
With these new properties, more families will now have a secure, high-quality, affordable place to call home which will have a momentous effect on their lives. As you can see, through the hard work of our local authorities and other delivery partners, we are delivering in Wicklow – as we are, under Housing for All, throughout the country.”
Emer O’Gorman, Chief Executive of Wicklow County Council, stated: “Over the course of the next two years, the Council’s programme is expected to deliver newly constructed homes for more than 400 households on the Council’s social housing list. The Council currently has three projects at various stages of construction, which will yield a further 81 homes before the end of 2024. A further nine schemes are under active consideration with a potential yield for a further 488 units. We are also engaged with Approved Housing Bodies under the CALF and CAS schemes and with private developers who are delivering additional units under Part V.”
Also in attendance at the official openings were other distinguished guests and staff and members from Wicklow County Council.