'People are wondering if Lissywollen housing will ever start'
"People are wondering if the Lissywollen housing scheme will ever start," remarked Athlone Fianna Fáil councillor Frankie Keena during a recent meeting of Westmeath County Council.
The development of 576 residential units in Lissywollen, adjacent to the existing housing in Brawney, was granted planning permission by An Bord Pleanála two and a half years ago but work on site has yet to begin.
A link road through the site, between the Ballymahon Road and Garrycastle, is to be the first step in the construction project, but last month the council said it was not in a position to provide a start date.
"Westmeath County Council is currently engaged in negotiations with the preferred bidder for the Lissywollen project and, as a result, we are unable to provide an anticipated start date for the proposed road at this time," the council said in early January.
In response to further questions at last week's county council meeting, director of services Jackie Finney said the local authority was in regular contact with the Lissywollen developer to progress it, but an agreement had not been signed yet.
Cllr Keena described this response as "grey" and asked if there were any insurmountable issues.
Ms Finney assured him that the developers were very positive and she was not aware of any significant issues.
She said the council was doing all it could to progress the project, and that the members would be kept up to date on the matter.
In October last, members of Westmeath County Council voted in favour of a proposal to transfer lands for Athlone's largest-ever housing project to a new consortium which will oversee the construction of 576 houses and a new access road.
The project will now be developed by Garrycastle Homes Ltd (trading as Alanna Homes), following the insolvency of one of the original partners in a consortium which was due to complete the project.
The Lissywollen development was granted planning permission in June 2021, and is due to be developed in phases over a number of years.
It will include 174 social housing units, and the key link road.
At the same meeting, Cllr Paul Hogan asked when shovels would be in the ground for new housing planned in the Cornamaddy area.
Barry Kehoe, director of services, pointed out that there were three large-scale residential developments planned for Cornamaddy.
One is for 177 houses, and the council has sought additional information on it. Planning permission has been granted for projects involving 332 and 181 houses, but these had been appealed to An Bord Pleanala, the meeting heard.