Galway Bay fm newsroom - Connemara county councillors have voted down a plan for the construction of 31 social houses at Bothar an tSliebhe in Moycullen
The tight margin of one vote followed heated debate at today's meeting of Connemara Municipal District
The debate on the Moycullen social housing scheme produced some robust exchanges at today’s meeting of the Connemara County Councillors with Eileen Mannion stating that she would not want to be associated with anybody who opposed the project.
Councillor Noel Thomas, from the Moycullen areas had earlier made a strong case against the 31 house scheme saying that building larger social housing schemes in villages was not the way to go. He was also worried about possible flooding at the Bóthar na Sléibhe site south of Moycullen village.
Alistar McKinstry, another Moycullen Councillor. said the location was ideal as it was close to the village centre. However he said no building should commence until the flooding issue was resolved.
Council Director of Housing, Liam Hanrahan, said houses were urgently needed with 292 applications in the pipelinge from Barna through Moycullen and west to Oughterard.
In the end 5 Councillor voted against the project – Séamus Walsh, Dáithí Ó Cualáin, Gerry King and Noel Thomas – all of Fianna Fáil – and Tomás Ó Curraoin, Independent.
The two Fine Gael Councillors - Eileen Mannion and Pádraic Mac an Iomaire - backed the housing project as did Alistar McKinstry of the Greens and Thomas Welby, Independent.
That was 5 against and 4 for… and that means that the project is rejected.
