Call for more affordable housing projects across county

Independent councillor Sean O'Brien has called on Offaly County Council to prepare a strategy for the increased delivery of affordable housing schemes in the county.

Cllr O'Brien said there was a greater need to make the purchase of a home "more accessible", citing his desire to have schemes introduced by the local authority which could be "rolled out" throughout the county.

"We need more zoned land for residential purposes. For example, the demand is such in Tullamore that there were over 1,000 applicants for a private development with 150 homes recently. There are so many employees working in Srah Industrial Estate, yet there is minimal opportunity for workers to live locally. For that reason, I am calling upon the council to deliver more affordable housing schemes in Offaly. I am hoping that this strategy will be included as an agenda item for the October 2025 council meeting," Cllr O'Brien said.

Cllr O'Brien received support from Fianna Fáil elected representative Cllr Declan Harvey, who stated that many potential home buyers were earning "too much" to go on the council's housing list, but not enough to be able to afford to buy their own home on the private market.

"We need council homes again. It is crazy the prices being quoted on the local property market. I know so many who simply don't have enough for a deposit on a new home," Cllr Harvey said.

Sinn Féin Cllr Aoife Masterson said home buyers were paying "over the odds" on the open property market and called on central Government to support local authorities in their quest to provide more affordable housing schemes.

"We are not receiving the grant support needed to invest in properties and this has to change if we are to be in a place to offer more affordable housing schemes," Cllr Masterson said.