The cost of affordable houses in this Kildare area 'should be below €360,000'

Kildare County Council has been asked to make sure that affordable housing schemes in the Naas area are priced below €360,000 “to make them attainable to those approved for the Local Authority Home Loan.”

It came from Cllr Evie Sammon, who said two other sites are “potentially available” in the area and “we need to ensure that houses cost less so they can be bought by people using the loan scheme.”

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She pointed out the loan scheme has a cap of €360,000.

Cllr Sammon said South Dublin County Council has been able to provide four bedroom homes for €355,000.

Kildare County Council said it provided eight affordable units at Lattin Place, Naas, to address the need for affordable housing and to “test the local market for future schemes, including the Land Development Agency (LDA) site at Devoy Park, Naas.

At Lattin Place the minimum purchase prices are €295,000 for 2-bedroom units and €365,000-€370,000 for 3-bedroom units and “to increase the affordability of these units the council received an enhanced subsidy of €100,000 from government.

KCC was aware of that the purchase price can’t exceed €360,000 “and was

aware that the 3-bed units would not qualify for LAHL.”

It added affordable housing funding does not require properties to fall within the lending limits of the LAHL. 

To date the council has received some 200  applications for this scheme.

“If the council decided to deliver affordable housing based at a price point aligned with

LAHL, this scheme of 8 affordable homes would not be delivered and the council

would be limited in any future schemes which could be delivered,” KCC official Siobhan Barry said in a report to a Naas Municipal District committee meeting.