Respond Housing today announced the completion of Phase I of our new Ashmount Mews social housing development, in the Silversprings/Mayfield area on the north-side of Cork city.
Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government Simon Coveney TD visited Ashmount Mews and spoke to the 16 families who recently moved into their new homes. When Phase II is completed, Ashmount Mews will be a 34 house estate, all homes including 3 bedrooms. When filled, the development will be home to 44 adults and 70 children.
Minister Coveney said:
“Through Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing & Homelessness, the Government and I remain committed to enabling the approved housing body sector to play a central role in the collective effort to meet social housing need. He added that “NAMA, through its special purpose vehicle, NARPS, is working closely with my Department, the Housing Agency, local authorities, and approved housing bodies, in relation to the delivery of social housing and all parties are committed to the maximum possible delivery of homes. This project is an excellent example of works involved in completing an unfinished housing estate and delivering social housing in parallel.”
Brendan McDonagh, CEO, NAMA added:
“NAMA has been working hard to contribute to the delivery of social housing. Since the start of 2012, we have delivered over 2,200 houses and apartments for social housing through a range of delivery mechanisms. This includes the 34 properties at Ashmount Mews, which have been delivered through NAMA’s social housing SPV, NARPS. NAMA’s work with Respond Housing Association and other Approved Housing Bodies, on developments such as Ashmount is a win-win situation. Individuals and families get access to high quality housing, local authority housing lists are reduced, and properties that weren’t being occupied are brought into the use they were intended for, which is good for NAMA and for taxpayers and especially for the new occupiers.
Ned Brennan Chief Operations Officer of Respond said:
“We are very pleased to announce this new development and that Minister Coveney is on-hand to meet the new tenants and see our work on the ground.
34 families will be taken off the housing list in Cork City, which currently stands at 5,558. Ashmount Mews is exactly the type of integrated development envisaged in Rebuilding Ireland as our tenants will be alongside the wider Ashmount private development. All our tenants will have the benefit of our Resident Support workers to assist them in their new homes and to work with them in terms of improving their employment prospects and educational opportunities – that is the Respond model, we are always there for our tenants whenever the need arises and to support social inclusion measures. We will work to create a vibrant, thriving community in Ashmount.
Respond has ambitious plans for further development in Cork city and beyond. We are particularly pleased that this development has gone so well as our first leasing from NARPS – NAMA’s social housing vehicle. The north side of Cork city has long been underfunded and underdeveloped and we are happy to play our part in addressing Ireland’s homelessness crisis by providing real housing solutions for people in dire need.”
Clifford & Lorna Dunlea, Sinéad Furlong & John Doherty and Lavina Higgins & Liam Sexton – all new tenants in Ashmount Mews said:
“We are absolutely thrilled to move into these beautiful new houses. We don’t ever have to worry again about where we will raise our kids.
We would like to see the Respond values of building communities as the standard for allocating houses and creation of real neighbourhoods as the standard for future developments for people in the same situation as ourselves. Respond has changed our lives and we are so happy”
National Asset Residential Services Limited (NARPS)
NAMA has established a special purpose vehicle (National Asset Residential Property Services Limited ‘NARPS’), to take ownership of properties where there is an established demand and then lease them long-term to an approved housing body or local authority.
In these projects, NAMA funds the remediation of the common areas and the completion of the unfinished properties, which are often the last remaining incomplete and vacant properties in the estates concerned. When complete, NARPS purchase the finished properties and lease them immediately to the approved housing body or local authority.
As at end June 2016, 2,135 homes have been delivered for social housing use under this mechanism, some 132 of which are in Cork city.
For further information see: https://www.nama.ie/social-initiatives/social-housing/ or www.housingagency.ie/NAMA