108-unit social housing plan for Cornamaddy area of Athlone
Plans are beginning to emerge for a large new social housing development of 108 units in the Cornamaddy area of Athlone.
Minister of State and Longford/Westmeath Fianna Fail TD Robert Troy said the Department of Housing had granted approval in principle for the project, which is expected to consist of 76 houses and 32 apartments on a 16-acre site that was recently acquired by Westmeath County Council.
It's understood that the council is also looking at the possibility of developing some affordable housing on this site, which is located to the east of Cornamagh cemetery and would be accessed from an entrance across the road from the Department of Education premises.
Minister of State Troy welcomed the approval in principle for the housing scheme, saying he was working with many families who were seeking a "forever home" in the Athlone area, and that this would be a major help.
"It is critical now that the council accelerates all stages of the process so that construction can begin as soon as possible," he said.
The council's acquisition of a 16.2 acre Athlone site was mentioned during a meeting of its Strategic Policy Committee on housing last month. It was stated that approximately nine acres of the site was zoned for residential use, with the rest of it zoned for green space.
The Cathaoirleach of Westmeath County Council, Cllr Frankie Keena, said the social housing provision of 108 units was "very important and very welcome."
"It's a lot of houses, and we've a lot of people on the housing list, so it's good news," he said, adding that the provision of affordable housing was a priority of his also.
He went on to say he was hopeful that the project would lead to movement on a long-proposed distributor road from the Cornamaddy and Cornamagh areas towards the Coosan area.
The development of the new road was mentioned as an aspiration in the council's 2005 Cornamaddy Area Action Plan and in its 2009 Cornamagh Local Area Plan.
In the 2005 document, the council said the road was necessary to "dissect and open up" the Cornamaddy area for future development.
Cllr Keena said the requirement for this new road was becoming ever more urgent given that several housing schemes, including the 426-unit Castlestar project in Coosan and the 576-unit Lissywollen development, were being constructed near the already-busy N55 Ballymahon Road.
"I would hope that this (Cornamaddy housing project) would lead to movement on the development of that road because it is necessary for avoiding traffic congestion on the N55," he said.
He added that the scale of the residential development in the area showed there was a clear need for additional capacity to be provided at Cornamaddy National School.
"We need the extra services to cater for all of the extra houses, and this could be a catalyst for the board of management of Cornamaddy National School to get an upgraded school or a new school, whichever is the best option for them."
He said he was looking forward to seeing preparations for 108-unit Cornamaddy housing scheme advance in 2022, with the design of the project likely to be the next step before it moves through the planning process.