Sir, – Here in the north west we are somewhat bemused at the perception that there is a housing shortage (Editorial, February 18th). Our towns and villages are overwhelmed by housing estates which, although left unfinished, contain large numbers of dwellings a small investment would bring to use.
The problem is that the economic recovery, welcome as it is, has been patchy and over-concentrated in the Dublin area. What we lack in this area are the employment opportunities to support those young people who, according to John Fitzgerald of the ESRI, are faced with the prospect of living with their parents until 35.
To avoid that fate, we can offer them the best of houses that can, in the current market, be acquired for less than €100,000, fine schools with spare capacity, sporting facilities in the form of golf, tennis, sailing, surfing, rowing, fishing, football, cycling, hill-walking, kitesurfing (and more) clubs all crying out for members and of course, the best little soccer club in the world to support. If that’s not enough, the landscape can just be admired.
Rather than continue to feed the growth of Dublin by constructing yet more houses and having to deal with the demands for services and facilities this will bring, what we need is to rebalance the economy with planned and controlled investment to provide the regions with the jobs they need. – Yours, etc,
BRYAN ARMSTRONG,
Stephen Street, Sligo.