Approval granted for 21 affordable homes in new Athlone estate

The Government has approved the development of 21 affordable housing units which are due to be made available in the new Dún an Rí housing estate in Coosan.

Westmeath TD Robert Troy said he had received confirmation that the 21 homes would be offered through the affordable housing fund, and that €1.57m was being allocated towards their delivery.

Affordable housing schemes are administered by county councils and involve new homes being sold at a price that is lower than their market value, with income limits applying to those who can avail of the scheme.

Last autumn, Westmeath County Council launched an affordable housing scheme at the under-construction Bower Hill development in Athlone, with demand for the 10 affordable homes offered far exceeding supply.

It was also announced earlier this year that a 22-unit affordable housing scheme was to be developed at Lake Road in Moate, with these homes scheduled to be made available for purchase in 2024.

The Dún an Rí development in Coosan received planning approval as a strategic housing development in 2020. The overall scheme is to encompass a total of 426 homes on land bordering Buccaneers rugby club, in the townlands of Coosan, Cornamagh, and Clonbrusk.

While some initial works took place on site in early 2022, this was subsequently halted, with the pricing and availability of building materials cited as a factor in the delay.

A spokesperson for Castlestar Ltd, the developer of the Coosan estate, told the Westmeath Independent in March that it was preparing to resume work on site shortly.

Robert Troy described the approval for the 21 affordable units at Dún an Rí as "really welcome" news.

He said the 10 homes at Bower Hill had been the first affordable units offered in Westmeath in more than a decade.

"Those ten houses were over-subscribed last year. There is an appetite, and a need, to assist people who are on incomes that are too high to avail of social housing but not high enough to buy a house on the private market," he said.

"We are determined, in Government, to ensure that those people are supported and it's a really welcome development that a further 21 houses are coming on stream. We want to continue to build on that,” he added.

Cllr Frankie Keena also welcomed the approval for the 21 affordable homes, which he said were expected to cost between €238,000 and €300,000, depending on the house type.

"The extra good news is that under phase one of this development up to 160 houses are presently under construction, from which 21 units will be offered as affordable.

"It is anticipated that these will be delivered in the first half of 2024, if not earlier," Cllr Keena stated.