Wicklow needs social and affordable housing and not PR stunts from the Minister for Housing

Wicklow Sinn Féin TD John Brady has said that the Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy’s visit to Wicklow on Monday next is little more than a PR stunt aimed at masking the failure of the Government to tackle the housing crisis. The Minister is in the County to officially turn the sod on a long awaited 42 social housing units on Kilbride Lane.

Teachta Brady said “Whilst the delivery of any social housing units has to be welcomed, the government have failed the 3489 people in Wicklow lingering on housing waiting lists. Not one social housing unit has been constructed by Wicklow County Council over the last 3 years.

“The turning of the sod on the Kilbride Lane site comes after 12 years of talk. The site was first acquired in 2006 for €6.1m and red tape has held this project up since then.

“The minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy along with plenty of media will do the honours and turn the sod on this site. However unless the four stage process used for planning social houses is fast tracked and a more ambitious housing construction programme is brought forward for Wicklow, it will take decades to go anywhere near tackling the crisis.”