Sinn Féin TD for Wicklow, John Brady has said that while the long-overdue commitment of funding to deliver 106 homes at Burgage More in Blessington is welcome, serious questions remain about the Tánaiste Simon Harris and his government’s handling of the project.
Brady's comments come after confirmation that Wicklow County Council has been given final approval to build the €40 million new development, after a previous Public-Private Partnership (PPP) initiative collapsed.
Teachta Brady said:
“Any investment that will finally see these 106 much-needed homes delivered in Blessington is to be welcomed.
“Families in West Wicklow have waited far too long, and they deserve certainty that these homes will now be built without further delay.
“However, it is a bit rich for Simon Harris to be patting himself on the back making this announcement, when it was his government that pulled the plug on the PPP project last year and set any development at the site back significantly.
“The irony is that I had long warned that the PPP model was not the solution, and does not represent value for money for the taxpayer.
“While the government, having insisted on PPPs for years, suddenly reversed course, acknowledging the flaws in the very system they defended and promoted, and after five long years of planning, their decision threw the development into chaos and created huge uncertainty.
“In the meantime, precious time has been lost.
“Families have remained stuck on waiting lists, and the housing crisis has deepened.
“It is also deeply concerning that the developers involved in the PPP have initiated legal proceedings following the decision to scrap the project at the eleventh hour.
“Not only has the government’s mismanagement of this project led to a series of unnecessary delays, it has now also potentially exposed the taxpayer to costly legal proceedings.
“The reality is that this development should already be under construction.
“What’s required now is urgency, accountability, and a guarantee that there will be no further delays.
“The people of Blessington cannot afford more false starts or political spin.
“They need homes built, and they need them now.”
ENDS