Completion date of older housing schemes pushed back

THE expected completion date for the development of two older persons social housing schemes in Fernwood and Maplewood, Springfield, has been pushed back to August/September of this year.

The two developments, with Fernwood Green containing 23 houses and Maplewood Heights containing 17 houses, were due to be finished by the end of this spring.

The units were initially meant to be completed by November 2021, before being pushed back to March 2022, with the most recent changed completion date being next August/September.

However, according to a leaflet circulated last week by the approved housing body which is managing the developments, Clúid Housing, labour and material shortages have delayed the projects.

In terms of the current status of Fernwood Green, all five housing blocks have been roofed, almost all of the houses have windows and doors installed, internal carpentry works are progressing in all of the houses, while floor and wall finishes are well advanced in Blocks 3, 4 and 5.

In Maplewood Heights, ESB and water connections are “imminent”, underground services are “generally complete”, internal floor and wall finishes are progressing, while the fitting of kitchens is scheduled to commence shortly.

In the leaflet, Clúid addressed the delays the housing schemes have faced, noting issues caused by a lack of materials, a labour shortage and disruption caused by Covid-19 shutdowns.

“The ongoing challenges in the construction industry, such as lack of materials and labour and the knock-on effect of the Covid-19 shutdowns, have meant that we must further reschedule the project completion date,” stated Clúid.

“The contractor now advises that they are working towards having the houses complete in August/September 2022.

We will continue to work with the contractor, South Dublin CoCo and the local residents to ensure the remaining construction works are completed as soon as possible with least disruption to the local community and will continue to monitor the local road conditions to ensure they are maintained in good order.

“We thank you for your ongoing patience and understanding of the difficulties being experienced by all construction works at this time and look forward to delivering new age-friendly housing later this year.”

The issue was raised at a recent Tallaght Area Committee meeting, where South Dublin County Council stated that the Maplewood development is expected to be delivered in August, followed by Fernwood in September.