There’s some very positive news for Kilkenny this morning coming from the Department of Housing.
It will mean new homes in the city and Thomastown, while there’s been a boost for the local fire services too.
Mayor Andrew McGuinness has been telling KCLR News “Yeah, really positive news this morning from Minister Darragh O’Brien’s Department in terms of social housing for Kilkenny, we have been given approval to construct six new social housing units at the weather station on the Granges Road, approval has been given to construct 33 new units in Newtown, Thomastown”.
It’s understood the homes on the Granges Road will comprise four one-bed and two two-bed apartments while at Ladywell, Newtown in Thomastown the breakdown is four one-bed, six two-bed and four two-bed wheelchair-accessible apartments as well as 16 three-bed and three four-bed houses.
He says “Great news all-round in Kilkenny today, particularly for social housing, I think we’ve made a lot of progress in the last year with the opening of new housing units throughout the city and county but today is really positive news, that would mean 39 families or individuals will have a place they can call home”.
They’re the latest local planning applications to get the go-ahead and Mayor McGuinness says “It’s very positive on one hand because housing is a huge need in Kilkenny but at the same time I think that we have to be sensitive to all of these areas and the residents that are already living in them and that have made their lives in them so that when we are constructing any of these developments that we take all of that into consideration”.
It’s not the only good news as he explains “On top of all of that we’ve also gotten approval for our fire service here in Kilkenny to purchase three new four by four jeeps for the fire service”.
And he says “We have a fantastic fire service in Kilkenny, we’re very lucky so it’s great to see these kind of developments in between getting new jeeps today, the development of the new fire station in Urlingford and so on we really are making great progress in expanding and improving our fire service so fantastic news all around”.