Letterkenny Housing Problem - Donegal 1983

The rapid expansion of Letterkenny puts pressure on the town to provide homes for a growing population.
In the last decade, Letterkenny has seen a new hospital, a regional technical college, an AnCO Training Centre and lots of new business premises. Hundreds of people have been attracted to live in the area.
Letterkenny County Donegal is a boom town.
The increasing population puts demand on the housing supply in the area.
Property is at a premium here and for young people seeking a first home the headaches are as severe as those experienced by house hunters in much larger towns and cities.
In an attempt to alleviate the pressure on property, the Urban District Council provided sites to 34 couples in 1981. However, it was not all plain sailing with many facing financial challenges and the council unable to provide the couples with property title of the land.
One such couple is Geraldine Durning and her husband. They were allocated a site, paid a £1,000 deposit, and commenced building but now have no deeds for their house. The couple are currently paying a bridging loan in addition to rent. Construction on their home has come to a standstill.
We’re more in debt now than when we started.
This situation is similar for nine of the couples who could not obtain titles for their sites. Mr McLaughlin and Mr Blake describe the challenges faced by these people. Mr Blake says that council officials have a lot of questions to answer. Sean Sheridan, Town Clerk at the Letterkenny Urban District Council, plays down the extent of the problems.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 2 August 1983.

[@ericbrendanmurphy]

Thanks so much for all the videos you’ve posted. Young Kansan always on the prowl for this type of footage.

[@steviemack2580]

The mean streets of LK

[@zoebidwell720]

So housing has always been a bollox here.

[@SEANPOL203]

No mica