Tag Archives: pyrite

SIX months after the government agreed to open a grant scheme to Clare homeowners affected by pyrite, more than one thousand people in this county continue to live in defective homes. As the first cold snap of the winter bites, many face the prospect of sky-rocketing costs for heating, much of which will escape through the severe cracks in their homes.  Despite what was described as a “positive” meeting, this week, between Council officials and members of Clare Pyrite Action Group (CPAG), there is no clarity on when exactly homeowners in this county will be able to apply for the grant. The current estimate is that the scheme will open in Q1 of next year, but no exact date has been set. Dr Martina Cleary, Linda O’Callaghan and Geraldine Kennedy attended the meeting on Wednesday (December 7). “It was a very positive meeting,” Dr Cleary said, “but the Council doesn’t seem to know much more than the homeowners. The Department …

CLARE County Council has said that it is continuing to engage with national government and the Housing Agency on the new scheme for homeowners with defective blocks.  Despite the fact that the Defective Concrete Blocks Scheme was extended to Clare and Limerick last June, the grant has still not opened to homeowners in the Mid-West. The scheme itself was revised through legislation signed by the President in July, but is still not operational in the four counties it covers. Last week, angry homeowners, facing another winter of uncertainty, told Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien of their frustration at being “trapped” in their unsafe homes. They also appealed to him to give a date for the opening of the new scheme.  In response to a query from The Champion, the Council said it is still awaiting clarity on the role of each local authority. “Since the approved inclusion of County Clare properties onto the Defective Concrete Block Redress Scheme, we are continuing to engage with …

WHILE Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien came to Clare on Monday for the launch of four new social schemes, there are still plenty of  housing challenges in the county. The new developments were launched in Ennis, Miltown Malbay and Tulla with a total of 153 homes being delivered from a total budget of over €40 million. The Cluain Gréine development in Lifford, Ennis, is the largest of the four new developments, with an approved budget of €18,923,877. This development provides 61 social housing units through the turnkey delivery stream. It was constructed by Manozo Ltd for Focus Capital. Also in Ennis, the Cnoc na Scoile development at Ashline on the Kilrush Road, provides 40 social housing units through a direct build scheme by Clare County Council. This development had an approved budget of €10,534,481. The project was completed in June and the appointed contractor on the project was M. Fitzgibbon Contractors Ltd. The Baile na mBan …

CONTROVERSIAL legislation which revises the grant scheme for homeowners with defective concrete blocks has been signed into law by President Michael D Higgins.  After the Bill passed through the Oireachtas earlier this month, as distraught campaigners looked on from the public gallery, and others protested outside Leinster House, the President signed the draft legislation at the end of last week. A spokesperson for Áras an Uachtaráin said: “Having considered the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022, the President has signed the Bill and it has accordingly become law.”  The terms of the new scheme have been sharply criticised by campaigners in Clare, as well as those in Mayo and Donegal where a grant has been available since 2020. While there had been hopes that it would improve on the previous scheme, which covered only 90% of remediation cots, campaigners are adamant that homeowners will still be left seriously out of pocket. Concerns have …

A PLEA has been issued to Clare TDs to fight for far-reaching changes to the Bill underpinning the revised grant scheme for homeowners with defective concrete blocks.  Councillor Ian Lynch has written to each of Clare’s Dáil representatives, ahead of a debate on Wednesday, where just two hours was set aside for discussion of 80 amendments. While the grant scheme will now be extended to Clare and Limerick, major concerns have been raised about the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022. In a series of letters, seen by The Champion, Councillor Lynch said he fully supports the 80 amendments, which have been proposed jointly by the Clare Pyrite Action Group (CPAG) and campaigners in Donegal and Mayo. He appealed to the TDs to use their influence to improve the Bill and he condemned the “physical, mental and financial hardship” that will result if the new grant scheme is not fit-for-purpose.   Asking TDs …

A CALL has been made for the opening of a ‘one stop shop’ in Clare to support midwestern homeowners affected by pyrite.  Deputy Cathal Crowe is seeking the facility, which would be overseen by The Housing Agency and would support homeowners accessing the new defective concrete blocks grant scheme. The calls has been made in parallel with the progressing of the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022. Deputy Crowe said the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH) is examining the option of opening regional support centres and he believes that the centre for the midwest should be located in Clare.  “The Housing Agency would oversee this,” he told The Champion. “It would provide an interface between the public and government staff and support homeowners in accessing the grant and getting remediation works done.” The new Bill, published last Tuesday evening (June 21), is a 62-page document outlining the revised blocks scheme. While Clare and …

THE horror of discovering her home had pyrite was recalled by the founder of The Clare Pyrite Action Group (CPAG) before members of the Oireachtas Committee on Housing yesterday (June 23). As part of what has been described as ‘accelerated’ scrutiny of the legislation to underpin a revised grant scheme, which will include Clare and Limerick, Dr Martina Cleary addressed the committee on Thursday. The seven-hour process, which also heard from expert engineering witnesses and Department of Housing officials, falls short of full Pre-Legislative Scrutiny (PLS), which the government has avoided in a bid to pass the law before the summer recess. “On August 1, 2020, following a misdiagnosis by engineers, including those appointed by my insurance company, crumbling and rotting blocks were discovered behind the render of my small bungalow,” Dr Cleary told TDs and Senators. “In that moment my life changed, and the sustained nightmare of coming to terms with this began. The first shock was hearing from …

NINE and a half months after a visit to Clare to see the damage caused by pyrite, Minister Darragh O’Brien announced this county’s inclusion in an updated grant scheme.  To secure inclusion, exhaustive technical detail was provided by the Clare Pyrite Action Group (CPAG) and Clare County Council. In addition to an original report submitted last July, further testing was required as well as scientific proof that was likened by experts to ‘finding a needle in a haystack’. While the breakthrough has been welcomed, CPAG and many of Clare’s Oireachtas members are adamant that there is a way to go to secure a grant that is fit for purpose. Specific concerns relate to eligibility criteria as well as the costs that the scheme will not cover. Members of the CPAG protested outside the Dáil over the terms of the General Scheme of the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill, 2022. Minister O’Brien outlined the …