Dilapidated gilmartin road houses could help reduce shortage

AS Galway Co Council faces a huge shortage of homes across the county, a number of dilapidated houses at Gilmartin Road, Tuam and at the Parkmore council estate in the town may be refurbished.
Director of Services Peter Gavican told a meeting of the Athenry-Oranmore Municipal Authority that they have 4,000 applicants for accommodation around the county but the local authority has only 2,600 units including “51 that require refurbishment, ten that are derelict, and 72 that require major repairs”. The latter number includes the dilapidated houses at Gilmartin Road and Parkmore Estate, Tuam.
Earlier in the year the situation, while still bad, did not look as serious with 3,200 on the waiting lists. But then Galway City Council deemed that another 800 that had sought accommodation in their area should be in the Athenry-Oranmore area instead, which brought the county total up to the 4,000 mark.