Fingal County Council must build affordable housing in Swords – Doherty

Fingal County Council must find a suitable site to build social and affordable housing in Swords, a Fine Gael Senator has said.

While there are plans to build 1,200 homes in Donabate and 800 homes in Balbriggan, there are currently no plans in place for a large scale social and affordable housing development in Swords, according to Leader of the Seanad, Senator Regina Doherty.

Senator Doherty said, “Swords is the fastest growing town in the country and Fingal County Council needs to provide housing security for the people in the area who are already on social housing lists, as well as for those planning for the future.

“Fingal County Council owns land in Swords which is currently zoned for other purposes, but in the midst of a housing crisis it is essential that the Fingal local authority explores every possible avenue in order to build affordable homes for those living in the ever-expanding town.

“It is essential that Fingal County Council identifies a site immediately and applies for planning to get the ball rolling in increasing the supply of housing in North Dublin.”

Local Fine Gael Councillor Tom O’Leary said, “I intend to propose the rezoning of council lands in Swords for residential use, so that Fingal County Council can build affordable housing in the area.

“I wholeheartedly agree with Senator Regina Doherty that Fingal County Council now need to urgently review their landbank in Swords so that it can be used to build much needed affordable housing”, concluded Cllr O’ Leary.