Funding needed for unfinished housing estates – Fleming

Fianna Fáil TD for Laois Sean Fleming has criticised the Government over its decision to abolish the funding available to Local Authorities to help complete outstanding works at unfinished housing estates.

Deputy Fleming made the comments after receiving new information from the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government Eoghan Murphy which shows that 420 housing developments remain unfinished around the country.

Deputy Fleming said, “Minister Murphy’s department has up to recently provided funding to Local Authorities to help complete outstanding works in unfinished housing estates. These works often include vital health and safety measures to ensure the estates are safe for family and children to live in. These works also include completing drainage works, finishing roads, installing pavements and putting adequate lighting in place.

“I recently questioned Minister Murphy on this issue and ask him to set out the current position regarding unfinished housing estates. He informed me that 420 housing estates remain unfinished. However I was astonished to learn that the Government does not intend on providing any funding in 2017 or in 2018 to Local Authorities to help complete these works.

“It’s unfair that the Government is seemingly abandoning hundreds of people living in these estates up and down the country. People bought houses in these estates in good faith and now they find themselves in an unfinished development through no fault of their own.

“This is something which I will continue to raise with the Government as I believe funding is necessary to help complete outstanding works in estates once and for all,” concluded Deputy Fleming.