It is believed there are no so-called “ghost estates” in Mullingar, despite a national poll suggesting there were 43 such estates in Westmeath.
This opinion was offered by Pat Keating, senior executive officer, at Westmeath County Council’s Legal and Enforcement Department, at the November meeting of the Mullingar area committee earlier this week.
In reply to a question from Cllr Mick Dollard as to how many ghost estates there may be in Mullingar, Mr Keating conceded that in a recent nationwide survey by the Department of the Environment there had been 43 such estates listed in the county, but that the Department did not use the term “ghost estate”.
However, he then referred to a recent study from NUI Maynooth which attempted to set out criteria for a definition of these types of estates.
“If more than 50 per cent of the houses started are unfinished or vacant, then it can be called a ghost estate,” said Mr Keating.
“Under these criteria, I don’t think there are any in Mullingar,” he added.
