Hollyford Community council is appealing for a White Knight that might purchase the former Dairygold Co-Op site in the village to enable it to be used by the Society of St Vincent De Paul to build 12 social houses.
The local branch of the Society of St Vincent De Paul wants to build houses on the site and would manage the entire process and the future tenant management in respect of issues such as rent, insurance and maintenance. Between 1993 and 2000 the group built 19 houses in the parish and considers the former Dairygold site as an ideal location for new homes.
Hollyford Community Council notes with alarm that there was no child enrolled in Junior infants in Kilcommon National School and says the proposed houses would deliver new homes and help to boost the village population.
Tipperary County Council Roads section wants to acquire the site to provide a Council depot to the rear of the site. It is understood that the Council would consider building 6 or 7 houses at the front of the site if the need arose in the future.
The council’s Housing section will not give a letter of support for St Vincent’s proposed housing project while the Council’s roads section is interested in the land.
The letter of support would enable St Vincent De Paul to avail of Government Funding to deliver the project. It is understood that Dairygold has received two bids for the property with the sale likely to conclude by the end of September – one from Tipperary County Council Roads Section and one, €500 higher, from the Hollyford Community Council.
Hollyford Community Council is asking community members to raise the matter with local public representatives in a bid to have Tipperary County Council Roads section encouraged to find a different location for their depot.
The matter is to be discussed at a meeting of Tipperary Cahir Cashel MD on Monday next and is likely to be referred to the Housing Strategic Policy Committee for consideration.
