Annual Report 2011 - Roscommon County Council

Housing and Building
Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS)
RAS, introduced in 2004, involves local authorities progressively assuming responsibility
for accommodating rent supplement recipients who have a defined long term housing need,
through direct arrangements between the local authority and the private rented sector. In
2011 a total of 94 units were transferred under the scheme. Total units in the scheme at the
end of 2011 are 361.
Voluntary Housing Schemes
The voluntary housing sector supplements the Council’s housing construction programme
by providing units of rented accommodation to persons in need of re-housing. Roscommon
County Council maintains close contact with the voluntary associations when assessing
demand in a particular area or when selecting suitable tenants but also plays a supervisory
role in the design and construction of projects. A total of 22 schemes have been completed
under this programme providing 150 additional units of rental accommodation.
Roscommon County
Council Housing
Development at
Manor Valley,
Monksland, Athlone.
Housing Strategy - Part V
In accordance with the provisions of Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000,
as amended, Roscommon County Council adopted The Housing Strategy 2001 – 2006
(subsequently extended to 2008). The current Housing Strategy 2008-2014 forms an
element of Roscommon County Development Plan 2008 – 2014. Developers of lands zoned as
residential or general can now be required to reserve up to 20% of the subject site for the
provision of social or affordable housing. There are other alternatives such as providing land
or sites elsewhere, partnering with a voluntary housing association or making a financial
contribution. Through engagement with developers, a number of agreements have been
entered into, yielding social and affordable houses in Roscommon, Monksland, Castlerea,
Boyle and Ballaghaderreen.
Annual Report 2011 45