There has been welcome developments for social housing in Clifden with a sod turning for 30 new homes on the Westport Road and the official opening of 26 homes at Hospital Road in the town.
Local Fine Gael Councillor Eileen Mannion, in welcoming the developments, said that the delivery of social housing in Clifden is good news for the many people on the social housing waiting list in the area.
''Every week I am contacted by someone in need of social housing, and often they have been served with a notice to quit and they find it difficult to find a place to rent. The delivery of the 26 units on Hospital Road - 18 houses and eight apartments - will provide forever homes for those who have been allocated a place.
"The sod turned on 30 new homes on the Westport Road, made up of five three-bed, eight one-bed and 17 two-bed homes will give hope to those still on the waiting list. The development also consists of 47 car parking spaces with 10 charging points and will also see improvements to the road junction. The development, called An Sruthan, is expected to take 18 months to complete."
The development on the Hospital Road is on the site of the former St Joseph's Orphanage, and at the official opening of the 26 homes the apartments were also open for viewing.
"St Joseph's School is part of the history of Clifden and I am delighted that the original building has been retained and refurbished and will now offer homes to more people," Cllr Mannion said. "The open viewing gave the local community an opportunity to view the development before new residents move in and to also view the standard of social housing being delivered by Galway County Council.
"In June 2018, as Cathaoirleach of the County I signed the contracts to appoint Vincent Hannon Architects as the lead architect and project manager for the project. Planning was approved in October 2019 under Part 8 Planning and Development Regulations 2001. Carey Building Contractors commenced work on the site in September 2020. There were delays in completing the development due in part to Covid and to the nature of the conservation works on the original buildings.
"The development has brought back into use parts of two disused and dilapidated buildings which are of historical significance - St Joseph's School, which was an orphanage until the 1980s, and the former laundry building," she continued. "Since the orphanage closed in the 1980s the buildings had been vacant and had fallen into disrepair. In this development part of the St Joseph's school building has been converted into four apartments, while the former laundry has also been converted into apartments. This will ensure the long term survival of the buildings and their importance to the history of Clifden.
"It is important that the original part of St Joseph's School building has been retained and redeveloped as many former residents return to visit and unfortunately in recent years the building had become very derelict. This development will ensure the survival of the building and ensure that its historical importance will be remembered," Cllr Mannion added.
There are also plans under the Per Cent for Art scheme to put something in place to commemorate the former residents of St Joseph's.
