A third of homes approved under Stage 1 of the Mica Redress Scheme are to be demolished.
That’s 62 homes approved for complete demolition, Donegal County Council reported yesterday.
“We can see the scale and the challenge that we face in terms of the applications coming in and nightmare scenario there for people, who after many years looking after their home now find they have to demolish it,” said Mr. Joe Peoples, Director of Housing, Corporate & Cultural Services.
“That is a very significant portion of applications and it’s obviously heartbreaking for all the families affected.
“Our hearts go out to everybody who is in that situation. It’s something none of us would ever have envisaged we’d have to face.”
A further 16 homes have been approved to have external walls demolished down to foundation level.
Seventy five homes in the scheme are to have their outer leaf external walls demolished down to the top of the rising wall.
To date, 788 homeowners have been registered on the council’s website to indicate they will be making an application to the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme, which opened in June 2020.
A total of 352 applications have been received by Donegal County Council to date.
Of those, 183 applications have been approved at Stage One.
There are 31 applications at Stage Two, of which nine have been approved.
Major issues were raised with the Mica Redress Scheme at yesterday’s sitting of Donegal County Council. Read report in full at: https://www.donegaldaily.com/2021/05/31/this-is-a-national-emergency-councillors-unite-on-mica/
Application turnaround times, further information requests and the need for more streamlined process were discussed by councillors, among many other issues.
Following the meeting, council is set to examine how it can streamline the application process to help people plan for the works they need to do on their homes.
“There is no question that we will add whatever resources are needed to bring about the necessary improvements,” Mr Peoples said.
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