New homes unveiled by Housing Minister who says Wexford is setting the standard for the rest of the country

By Simon Bourke, Wexford People

The first design-build housing scheme in Co Wexford has been officially opened by Housing Minister James Browne TD. Designed completely in-house by Wexford County Council’s (WCC) architects, the 18-unit scheme in Tagoat was first proposed in 2019 but was thereafter delayed due to the presence of Japanese knotweed at the site.

However, all that was forgotten as Minister Browne visited his home county to cut the ribbon on Tobair Cormaic which was built by Enniscorthy company Kevin Thorpe Contractors.

“It’s fantastic to see these homes completed and residents moving in, I was here when they were being built and you could see the quality of craftsmanship that was going into them at the time, and you can see the result of that work today,” said Minister Browne.

“This is what it’s all about, providing homes for people to live safely and securely; this is now their community and they will go on to develop long-lasting relationships with their new neighbours.”

Referencing the methodology used in delivering the houses, the Minister said the team at WCC was setting the standards for the rest of the country.

“This scheme is an exemplar for the whole country on what we can produce – homes delivered at speed but with quality. And because they’re A-rated the residents don’t have to worry about spending large amounts on keeping their homes warm, WCC is stepping up to the mark in delivering housing, if every county across the country was delivering at the same pace we’d be challenging the housing crisis.”

While Minister Browne was very complimentary of the team at WCC, including director of housing Carolyne Godkin and county architect Shay Howell, the chief executive said no-one within the organisation would be resting on their laurels as they sought to tackle the housing crisis.

“We are committed to maximising our delivery here in Co Wexford and the targets set under Housing For All we see as the minimal number we can achieve,” said Eddie Taaffe. “Our target from 2022-26 was to build 1150 social houses between ourselves and the approved housing bodies, and we’re confident of delivering 1500 houses in that period, which would be 30 pc over our target.

"We look forward to delivering a similar number over the next five years and, in addition, we will continue to increase our supply of affordable housing; we hope to have a lot more of those schemes throughout the county available for purchase in the coming years, we will have more announcements to that end in the near future, particularly in the Gorey area.”

Cathaoirleach of WCC, Councillor Joe Sullivan praised “the commitment of the members of the Rosslare Municipal District” for their work in getting the project over the line, and said the overall landscape for housing had changed considerably during his time as a public representative.

“When I first became a councillor in 2014 there was nothing being built, but now we’re delivering housing projects all over the county on a regular basis. This is a great day for the Rosslare district.”