Donegal County Council has been urged to push for a remediation scheme to bring relief to homeowners in social houses built with defective concrete blocks.
Families in social housing and Specific Instance (SI) houses deserve to have their homes fixed as a matter of urgency, Independent Cllr Pauric McGarvey Tuesday’s meeting of the Letterkenny-Milford Municipal District.
Cllr McGarvey said the issue has arisen many times during canvassing: “I’ve seen first-hand the conditions they are living in and I know it’s not just in Milford. It’s county-wide. Tenants’ frustration is with the council and the lack of information.
“The houses are deteriorating at a rapid rate,” he said.
“They are living in damp, mould, windows leaking and having to throw out their belongings. These people have no scheme and no faith.”
“I know one family that has left their social home in Ramelton because of the condition it’s in,” he said.
Cllr McGarvey added that residents are making their complaints but “feel they are falling on deaf ears”.
Cllr Liam Blaney said he feared that social houses will deteriorate beyond repair, and that a more urgent message should go to the Department of Housing “that this is going on far too long”.
Donegal County Council has been seeking approval for a remediation programme for Council-owned homes affected by deleterious materials since 2021. Despite engagement with the Department, it is still waiting for approval.
A spokesperson said: “The Council continue to engage with the Department with regular emails and phone calls and the offer of meetings and delegations in order to assist the Department in the finalisation of a scheme that is appropriate for the remediation of social homes that are damaged by defective concrete blocks.”
Update: 20th May: Sixty-nine social housing properties in Donegal are lying vacant and affected by defective concrete blocks. Donegal County Council is awaiting the new Social Housing Remediation Scheme in order to bring these units back into use.
