Approximately 1,000 houses have been built in Kilkenny City and environs during the past seven years.
Of these, about 400 were built by the Corporation and the Co Council; 512 were in private schemes and an estimated 100 were built individually.
These figures were given by Co Manager, Mr DF Donovan, at Monday’s Corporation meeting.
The meeting had been discussing the recommendations made by the Corporation at their last meeting by representatives of the Kilkenny Flat Dwellers’ Association.
One recommendation had been the provision of flats by the Corporation as interim accommodation for young married couples before they got houses.
However, the feeling of the meeting was that the Corporation should pursue its house building programme rather than embark on the provision of flats.
The Co Manager felt that it was only when the Corporation were strong on houses that they could crack down on undesirable flats.
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In the past there had even been requests not to move against substandard flats because even bad accommodation was regarded as better than nothing.
Ald M McGuinness said he would not approve of the building of flats for several reasons. They would cost every bit as much as a conventional house and he believed they would bring down the standard of living for tenants.
According to the Flat Dwellers’ Association, about 75% of the people they spoke for were newlyweds. That in itself was an indication of the achievements of the Corporation. It indicated how many people had been housed. He felt that at present about 200 to 250 houses would solve the city’s problems.
Mr Donovan said that although approximately 1,000 houses had been built in the last seven years, that was not the end of the story. More houses were planned at present and as the building programme went ahead there would be less need for people to resort to flats.
Mr M Lanigan said that in the past, elderly people were accommodated in flats in what were known as alms houses. A lot of those people were now being forced to go to the County Home which was not desirable as they were going away from their friends and relatives. If flats could be built for these people it would be a good move.
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