Funding for 95 new affordable-purchase houses in Clonmore, Ballyviniter, Mallow, has been approved by Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien under the Affordable Housing Fund. €7.125 million in funding has been allocated towards the acquisition of these turn-key houses. Planning has already been granted for these houses and it is projected that the first affordable homes will be available for purchase by February, 2023. Plans for the new houses were unveiled to councillors at a special Municipal District meeting on Tuesday.
Prices for the houses will start at €260,000 for 3-beds and €280,000 for 4-beds, depending on income levels. It is believed that there will be a sliding scale, depending on income levels under the Affordable Purchase Scheme.
The houses will be built in three phases and it is likely that applications for the first phase will open in the next few weeks. Phase One will see the construction of 10 three-bedroom and 28 4-bedroom houses which will be delivered between September, 2022 and February, 2023. For Phase Two, 29 four-bedroom homes will be built between February and May, 2023. The final phase will take place after May, 2023 and will see the delivery of 14 three-bedroom and 14 four-bedroom houses.
Speaking about the announcement, Cllr. Gearóid Murphy said: “I am delighted that funding has been allocated for these new high-quality affordable homes in Mallow. There is huge demand for housing in North Cork, and a recurring issue among people I speak to is the difficulty for people trapped ‘in the middle’. Many people who don’t qualify for social housing still find that suitable homes in the private market are out of their reach. Mallow is a growing town with many young families and is the perfect location for this initiative.”
Cllr John Paul O’Shea said, “This is wonderful news for Mallow and North Cork, with the first Affordable Housing Scheme for the county being progressed here. Exciting times ahead!”