It’s emerged that the government still hasn’t fully approved a Donegal County Council programme to address the impact of defective blocks on its own social housing stock.
The programme was submitted two years this month.
Members were told at a special council meeting that at least 20% of the council’s houses are affected.
The Council has a social housing stock of approximately 5,000 units, and this week’s Special Meeting on housing was told that visual surveys show that approximately 1,000 Council owned social homes show evidence of pattern cracking which is consistent with defective concrete blocks.
Officials warned it’s likely the that the final number will be considerably higher.
In October 2021 the Council made a comprehensive submission to the Department seeking approval for the remediation of the Council owned damaged homes over a 4-year
programme. The following February, the Department part-sanctioned the appointment of a dedicated project team, but it hasn’t yet approved the programme.
In July of last year, he Council submitted an approval request for a pilot project on 60 vacant social homes damaged by defective concrete blocks. However, approval has not been forthcoming to date.
The council has begin preparatory work on assessing those houses, pending departmental approval.
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Details as presented in a presentation to members –
Social Housing Remediation Project
1.1 The Council has a social housing stock of approximately 5,000 units.
1.2 Visual surveys have identified that approximately 1,000 Council owned social homes
exhibit damage likely to be caused by the presence of pattern cracking, which is
consistent with defective concrete blocks. It is likely that the final number will be
considerably higher.
1.3 In October 2021 the Council made a comprehensive submission to the Department for
approval for the remediation of the Council owned damaged homes over a 4-year
programme, this included the appointment of a dedicated project team to deliver this
project.
1.4 In February 2022 the Department part-sanctioned the appointment of a dedicated
project team and in March 2022 the Council set up the Social Housing Remediation
Team, (SHRT) tasked with remediating social homes damaged by defective concrete
blocks. The Department has not yet approved the programme as requested in October
2021.
1.5 In July 2022, following consultation with the Department, the Council submitted an
approval request for a pilot project on 60 vacant social homes damaged by defective
concrete blocks, however approval has not been forthcoming to date.
1.6 Pending departmental approval, the team proceeded to complete surveys of all Council
stock and have appointed consultants to assess and test the 60 vacant units and prepare
recommendations on remediation as well as carrying out preventative works on other
social homes to keep tenants in-situ until properties are permanently remediated.
Preventative works were completed on approximately 200 units however a funding
application to recoup associated costs has yet to be approved.
