Westmeath County Council Cathaoireach, Cllr Aengus O’Rourke has vented his frustration with the derelict state of properties in Sarsfield Square under the ownership of the Respond Housing Agency.
Speaking to the Athlone Advertiser, the Cathaoirleach, noted that three properties in the housing estate were in an “awful” condition and causing “due annoyance” to the those who lived in the immediate vicinity.
“The first line on the Respond Housing Agency website states “Respond is Ireland’s leading housing association. We seek to create a positive future for people by alleviating poverty and creating vibrant, socially integrated communities”.
“Respond own a number of houses in Sarsfield Square in the heart of Athlone. Incredibly, three of the houses they own in the terrace are derelict for some time. One house has been derelict for seven years, another for five years and another for three years. These three-bedroom family homes are boarded up, they look awful, and the occupants of the neighbouring house are understandably very annoyed.
“These abandoned houses are unsightly, they have become dumping grounds and structural issues are now occurring. The neighbouring, attached properties are experiencing dampness and other issues due to the lack of maintenance on the Respond houses. In Athlone we have over 450 people waiting for a social house, some people have been waiting for years. All of them would give their eye teeth for a home in Sarsfield Square, a settled, quiet, town convenient estate. So, to see houses idle like in Sarsfield Square in the middle of a housing emergency absolutely infuriates me and has done for some time,” Cllr O’Rourke commented.
The Cathaoirleach stressed that the opening line on the Respond Housing Agency website could not be further from the truth.
“I have raised the matter at council level and instructed the council to write to Respond on numerous occasions and I have had Parliamentary Questions raised on the matter, ensuring that the Minister for Housing, and the Department of Housing are aware of the matter. I have received commitment after commitment from Respond that they will refurbish these houses in Sarsfield Square.
“The latest commitment was that in quarter one 2023 work would begin on all three houses. We are now in quarter two and still nothing has happened. I am proud to say as Cathaoirleach of Westmeath County Council, compared to all other local authorities in Ireland, in our county we turn our houses around very quickly once they become vacant.
“On average, the turnaround is eight to twelve weeks depending on the repairs required.I am calling on Westmeath County Council to CPO these Respond houses in Sarsfield Square with the assistance of the Department of Housing, so we can quickly get them back into use as family homes for people who desperately need them,” Cllr O’Rourke concluded.
