FOURTEEN derelict Council-owned properties have been identified in the Hyde Road area for transfer to the Approved Housing Body (AHB) sector for refurbishment and allocation.
Fianna Fáil councillor Catherine Slattery called at this Monday’s meeting of Limerick City and County Council for a detailed outline of plans to tackle dereliction. Areas such as Kennedy Park, Hyde Road and Lenihan Avenue in Prospect, she said, have many derelict Council-owned properties.
“And the Council is in the process of acquiring more through Compulsory Purchase Order,” she said.
“The Council needs to refurbish these properties so they can be allocated as soon as possible.”
The Council’s Director of Service for Housing, Caroline Curley explained that 14 derelict council-owned properties have been identified in Hyde Road, Hyde Avenue, Lenihan Avenue, Hyde Villas and Ballyclough Avenue for transfer to the AHB sector for refurbishment and allocation.
“Involving the AHB sector will assist the council in tackling the substantial backlog of derelict properties within the council’s responsibility. It is expected that these properties will be completed and ready for allocation within a nine to ten-month timeframe,” Ms Curley said.
“In addition, the Housing Construction and Maintenance Section also arrange for works to be undertaken directly to derelict housing units so as to provide homes for tenancy.
“The approach is that units are grouped into lots. Each dwelling within the lots is then scoped to identify the extent and nature that is required to be completed. Once this is done, the tender documents are prepared and the lot is advertised through the public tender process.
“Depending upon the specific proposals some of these properties can require planning consent before they can be undertaken. Once a contractor is appointed the construction period will typically take eight to ten months depending upon the number of units and extent of work to be undertaken,” she concluded.
