Minutes:
Agenda item number 2- Receive update on Housing Action Plan - and item number 3 - Housing Update - were taken as one item.
Ms Mary Quinn informed the members that the Housing Action Plan has been prepared and will be presented to the elected members at the Municipal District meetings in December.
Ms Quinn informed the members that the Housing Action Plan sets out a plan for the delivery of Social Housing in Leitrim over the five-year period 2022 through to 2026. The plan is cognisant of the social housing delivery targets set for Leitrim Country Council by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The Social Housing delivery target for Leitrim is 139 units over this period, with this number broken down for each year as follows: 2022 – 30 units, 2023 - 26 units, 2024 – 26 units, 2025 – 28 units, 2026 – 29 units. The current housing need in Leitrim is 201 households, net of transfers.
In preparing the Housing Action Plan, Leitrim County Council has made provision for a 30% increase on the target set by the Department, with the plan projecting delivery of 180 units over the course of the 5-year plan. This increased target it to take account of situations where projects may not come to fruition or be significantly delayed.
The members were informed that the intention of the Government is that 40% of the social housing target would be delivered through the voluntary sector by Approved Housing Bodies. In Leitrim, the operations of the voluntary sector are not at a level that could be expected to deliver this number of units and the Housing Action Plan has been prepared with the intention the Leitrim County Council will deliver the required units through schemes, such as Local Authority Build, Buy and Renew or Turnkey Developments. The Capital Acquisition Scheme will be available to the Voluntary Sector if they wish to pursue this.
Based on the Housing Assessment needs analysis Leitrim County Council currently do not have a requirement to provide any Affordable Housing units. This is similar to 14 other Local Authorities in the state. Should this requirement change then the Housing Action Plan can be amended accordingly.
Mr Justin Fannon gave the members a more in-depth presentation which set out the number of units to be delivered through various schemes and proposals in each year of the plan. The presentation as shared with members is set out in Appendix 1 to this document.
Cllr Thomas Mulligan queried if there was a possibility that some developments may not come to fruition.
Cllr Sean McDermott queried if the County Development Plan 2022-2028 will have any impact on this plan and the targets set in it.
Cllr Sean McDermott further queried if land banks for housing were being provided in smaller towns and villages in the county as the availability of housing in these towns and villages may help grow and sustain these communities.
Cllr Padraig Fallon queried if the Local Authority would purchase properties or land banks in smaller towns and villages if the situation arose that land and properties are problematic to source in larger centres.
Cllr Padraig Fallon highlighted the excellent work carried out by the technical and maintenance housing staff and stated that the Local Authority should consider directly employing additional trades people to speed up the turnaround of social housing units or bring additional units online at a faster pace.
Cllr Paddy O’Rourke complimented the work of the technical and maintenance staff of Leitrim County Council for the effective and efficient way they carry out their work. He supported the views of Cllr McDermott & Fallon regarding smaller towns and villages and said it would be preferable if the plan was more ambitious for the smaller towns and villages. Cllr O’Rourke queried if it was possible to apply penalties or repercussions to contractors where there is a delay in the delivery of housing units.
Cllr Thomas Mulligan queried if persons with vacant properties on the main streets of towns and villages were asked to consider bringing their properties back into residential use and if any such properties in Mohill were considered for inclusion in this plan.
Mr Justin Fannon advised the members that an additional 30% of units have been included as it is possible that the units projected for delivery through the Part V planning process may not come to fruition as the developments that have being granted planning permission have not yet come online. Units projected for delivery through Approved Housing Bodies may also not come to fruition. There is reasonable confidence that units projected through LA build schemes or Turnkey developments will be delivered.
Mr Fannon advised the members that consideration will be given to acquiring suitable parcels of land in smaller towns and villages that are appropriate to the need of the area. In these areas, the delivery of housing units through the Buy and Renew scheme may be more appropriate.
The application of penalties or liquidated damages on contractors is difficult to apply. The Local Authority is not allowed to pursue liquidated damages from contractors carrying out works under Minor Works Contracts.
Mr Justin Fannon said the Vacant Homes Officer has identified a number of properties in towns and villages throughout the county. In Mohill, this process hasn’t brought any homes into use as the owners were not interested in the Lease & Renew scheme. The Local Authority has identified some existing properties in Mohill suitable for social housing and these are being pursued through the Buy and Renew scheme.
Ms Mary Quinn advised that the Housing Strategy is an element of the County Development Plan and therefore the housing delivery targets are considered.
The current demand for housing units is in the larger Tier 1 and Tier 2 towns in the county. This is where the Local Authority must provide land banks and housing units in the first instance.
The turnaround time for re-tenanting existing stock was set as a priority, but COVID-19 has had an impact on this activity. As COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, demand and growth in the construction sector has increased significantly. This has meant that there is lack of available contractors and skilled labour to carry out necessary works.
Ms Samantha Healy advised the members that maintenance works are impacted by challenges in engaging contractors and supply chain issues and lead times for materials. The tendering process of specialised maintenance work, such as energy efficiency works, adds to delays in the turnaround time.
There are 4 maintenance teams employed by Leitrim County Council and these carry out low level maintenance works. The average turnaround time for a property is currently 31.4 weeks. It is expected that this will be reduced to 30 weeks by year end, which is in line with the national average. Had COVID-19 and supply chain issues not impacted operations, the turnaround time of properties would be closer to 22 weeks.