A new Ready to Build scheme has been announced that potential homeowners in Carlow and Kilkenny can avail of.
It will see the councils make serviced sites in towns and villages available at discounted rates for those who wish to build their own home.
Ministers Darragh O’Brien and Peter Burke revealed details at the National Ploughing Championships in Ratheniska this morning which is an extension of the existing Croí Cónaithe Towns fund.
It will mean that the local authorities in Carlow and Kilkenny will be making sites, with necessary infrastructure like electricity, water and wastewater, available in towns and villages across the two counties, to individuals who want to build their own home.
The sites will be offered at a discounted rate to be determined by the cost of servicing the site – but could be up to €30,000 less than the market value.
All available sites will be advertised on Kilkenny and Carlow County Council’s websites and the relevant forms and eligibility criteria will also be available to view.
Vacant Homes Officers in the local councils will also be able to provide any additional details for those interested in the scheme.
Welcoming the new initiative the Heritage Minister Malcolm Noonan, who’s also the Green TD for Carlow and Kilkenny, said; “We know there is a great appetite out there for people to build their own homes in our many towns and villages. This scheme will provide many people in Carlow with a real opportunity to do so. This initiative is among the suite of measures in Housing for All to make housing more affordable for people in Carlow and to strengthen and diversify Carlow’s rural towns and villages so that they are a hub for local housing and employment growth. This new initiative will work hand-in-hand with the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, also funded by the Croí Conaithe (Towns) Fund, which aims to tackle vacancy and dereliction in our towns and villages by giving prospective homeowners a grant of up to €30,000 (€50,000 if derelict) for the refurbishment of a vacant property for occupation as a principal private residence.”
He added “This new Scheme will bring added vibrancy to Carlow’s towns and villages where housing is needed. Not only does this policy support greater housing but, in line with the Government’s Town Centre First policy, it will make towns and villages more viable and attractive places in which to live, work, visit and run a business.”
