Richard Boyd Barrett: Demands probe into Cherrywood affordable housing
Richard Boyd Barrett raised the case of Sirsia and Darren, a working couple in their 50s renting in Cherrywood who pay €2,000 a month and want to buy a one- or two-bedroom home. He said they have enough for a deposit but are refused mortgages because of their age and called for an inquiry into the failure to deliver promised affordable housing after €13 million of public Lee Half funding.
Case presented
Richard Boyd Barrett described Sirsia and Darren as a working couple in their 50s who have rented for 15 years in Cherrywood and now pay €2,000 monthly. He said they want to buy a small home but the banks will not consider them because of their age, leaving saving for a deposit insufficient to secure a mortgage.
Affordable housing shortfall
He outlined a shortfall of genuinely affordable housing locally, noting the last allocation was 30 affordable homes in Shangana that attracted 640 applicants and that no further homes are in the pipeline. He said Cherrywood was originally expected to deliver a significant proportion of affordable units - initially 40% - but those commitments have failed to materialise and a promised figure of 300 affordable homes is now said not to be happening.
Public funding and alleged breach
Richard Boyd Barrett highlighted that Cherrywood received €13 million of Lee Half funding paid to developers and stressed the public funding was made on the condition that affordable housing would be provided. He characterised the current situation as a potential scandal that leaves families like the couple he described without realistic options to buy.
Official response and next steps
A respondent thanked the deputy for raising the issue and reiterated that the new housing plan requires local authorities to prepare affordable housing plans alongside social housing action plans. The respondent said they would ask the minister to consider the specific Cherrywood concerns raised and to revert directly to the deputy on the matter.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
Sirsia and Darren are a couple, both working, they're in their 50s, they've been renting for 15 years, they're paying €2,000 a month in rent in Cherrywood, big residential development, they have enough for a deposit, by the way their rent might get hiked because of your bill, but they want to buy a home, a one or two bedroom home, but the banks won't look at them because they're in their 50s. Now what they need is genuinely affordable housing, the last bit of affordable housing in our area was 30 affordable homes in Shangana, but there were 640 applicants and there's no more in the pipeline, but Cherrywood was given 13 million of Lee Half funding to the developers to build that Cherrywood and at the time we were supposed to get initially 40% of that development in exchange for that money in affordable housing, that didn't happen, then we were supposed to get 300 affordable homes and now we're told that's not happening. In the place they live and are currently renting a €2,000 a month, they can't buy what we were supposed to get affordable housing which actually would give them an option and there is no sign of it despite the fact that the public put in 13 million precisely on condition there would be affordable housing. It's now not happening. Now I want somebody to look into what I think is a scandal that leaves people like Saoirse and Darren high and high. Thanks very much Deputy Boyd Barrett for raising the issue and indeed raising the concerns of Saoirse and Darren regarding the need for more affordable homes so that it's an option for them to purchase their own home which is something they clearly want to do. We have put in the new housing plan that local authorities have to have not just commitments to social housing and social housing action plans for their own country, they also have to now have affordable housing plans as well. In relation to the specifics of Cherrywood which I truthfully don't have with me, I will ask Minister Brown to consider the issues you've raised and revert to you directly. Deputy Collins. Deputy Collins.
Thank you for downloading 🙏
If you publish this material on social media, we would be very grateful if you tagged VideoParliament. It helps us reach more people and keep building a transparent archive of Irish politics.
