Monaghan County Council has confirmed that it plans to build 206 social houses in the county from this year and into 2024. The local authority also confirmed there has been no confirmation as to whether affordable units will be supplied.
19 homes will be built in the Ballybay-Clones Municipal District; 82 in the Carrickmacross-Castleblayney MD; and 81 homes are earmarked for the Monaghan MD.
Speaking to Northern Sound, Cathoirleach of the Monaghan County Council, Sean Conlon welcomed the development, but also voiced his concern over the 500 applications for social housing which currently stands in North Monaghan.
Cllr Conlon praised the work and effort carried out by local authorities but has called on the department for housing to "ramp up" housing targets for Co Monaghan as a whole.
"The targets that the department of housing provide are inadequate and they need to be ramped up more significantly because we know that not only in Monaghan town but all our urban centres and rural villages there is a need for more housing.
"For the North Monaghan area there is over 500 applications for social housing, that in itself suggests there is huge demand. On our end, at local authority level here in Monaghan, we are meeting targets but the department have to ramp up what they consider targets and what we should be producing every year.
"It's about funding, resources and the genuine need to meet the demand. We have situations were there are three generations living under the one roof and that is not acceptable. It's very frustrating for people."
