Multi-million euro retrofit loan scheme under review after disappointing uptake revealed
A flagship scheme to encourage homeowners to retrofit is being reviewed after struggling to take off.
The €500m Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme provided loans to an average of only one household a day in its first year, with borrowings totalling just €17m.
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Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Irish Examiner
Incomplete structures in Kilmore Road development facing demolition
Cork City Council spent almost €2.5m on a controversial and unfinished 24-house development on the city's northside, but it is unclear how many of the incomplete structures are now being demolished. In March 2020, a private contractor began work on 24 houses on Kilmore Rd in Knocknaheeny before work ground to a halt a few months later in what Cork City Council described as 'a complex contractual dispute'. The houses were being built under phase 2c of the Cork Northwest Quarter Regeneration (CNWQR) project, a huge multi-annual, phased regeneration project which began in the Knocknaheeny and Hollyhill area more than a decade ago. The CNWQR, adopted by the council in November 2011, involves the demolition of 450 houses and the design and construction of more than 600 new homes. Last year, the council resolved its dispute with the Phase 2c contractors, and reissued the tender for the project, costed at an estimated €5m. Works eventually began this summer under a new contractor. At a recent council meeting, Sinn Féin's Kenneth Collins asked the total sum paid to the original contractor and 'the percentage amount of work complete that will require demolition and the cost of this demolition'. He was told the original contractor had been paid €2,452,317, ex Vat, in May 2024, and '0% of the works complete will require demolition'. Rectification and completion works Asked by the Irish Examiner how this claim squared with photographic evidence of current demolition work, a council spokesperson clarified that the council had engaged a contractor to undertake 'rectification and completion works on the 24-unit housing development at Kilmore Road Lower". 'These works include the demolition and taking down of incomplete works. 'Works that have been certified as complete which were undertaken by the initial contractor do not require demolition,' they said. When asked how much of the development was not certified as complete, a spokesperson admitted that, in fact, none of the 24 homes had been completed by the original contractor. 'Zero homes are certified as complete,' the spokesperson said. 'We are still within a construction contract and practical completion of the contract has not been reached.' In a subsequent email, they said not all of the initial works were being demolished but they did not immediately respond when asked how many of the buildings were being retained. Almost two weeks after his initial question, Mr Collins said he was again asking how much of the original work was being demolished. 'I can't understand why we can't get a straight answer, but first we're told 0% required demolition, then they say it's 0% of completed buildings and now they say none of the buildings were completed, but some aren't being demolished,' he said. So how many of the buildings are being demolished? Why can't the council answer a simple question? 'This is a long running saga. The people of Knocknaheeny want these homes built. 'They've lived opposite and beside a building site for years on end. The council have broken commitment after commitment when it came to this site. In its most recent statement, a council spokesperson said: 'Works undertaken by the initial contractor would have constituted approximately 55% of the project. 'The new contractor is now at approximately 60% (plus c5% on the initial signed off works) completion overall as they have recently commenced. 'As per previous all works signed off in that approximately 55% are to be retained. A minor percentage of works not signed off were not retained.'
The Journal
3 days ago
- The Journal
We've collectively recycled 1.6 billion bottles and cans via Deposit Return Scheme since last year
THE IRISH PUBLIC has collectively returned more than 1.6 billion bottles and cans through the Deposit Return Scheme since it kicked off at the beginning of last year. The scheme has been receiving bottles and cans from consumers for dedicated recycling programmes since it was introduced in February 2024. Since then, more than 1.6 billion bottles and cans have been processed through the scheme. Minister for Climate Darragh O'Brien said the high level of participation in the scheme 'demonstrates that when change is right, Irish people will embrace it'. Re-turn, the company responsible for running the scheme, estimates that 798 million more containers are now being recycled each year compared to before the scheme began. Additionally, it says that recycling rates for beverage containers have risen from 49% to an estimated 91%, with 76% of containers recycled through the scheme and 15% collected via standard recycling bins. 'These latest recycling figures are far beyond what we had projected to achieve just a year after the end of the transition phase for the scheme,' said Ciaran Foley, CEO of Re-turn. 'They speak to the commitment of the Irish people to sustainability and their desire to support the vision of a greener, cleaner Ireland,' Foley said. Advertisement 'It's vital that we continue returning containers to maintain momentum and ensure lasting change.' New recycling facility for Ireland Re-turn has faced some criticism for needing to ship the plastic waste it collects abroad in order for it to be recycled. Ireland does not currently have the kind of facility needed to carry out high-quality bottle-to-bottle recycling for PET plastic. Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy said in May that it is a 'scandal' that the majority of waste leaves Ireland as part of the recycling process. In a response to his comments to The Journal at the time, a Re-turn spokesperson said that a 'key step in fully recycling PET plastic bottles is turning them into food-grade plastic pellets, but no facility in Ireland can currently do this'. Now, the company has confirmed that it is planning to develop Ireland's first on-island PET bottle-to-bottle recycling facility, which will allow those bottles collected through the scheme to be fully recycled within Ireland. 'This step will reduce Ireland's reliance on exporting PET plastic for processing and support Ireland's long-term sustainability and circular economy goals,' it said. It is currently engaged in a tender process to develop the facility. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Irish Independent
Multi-million euro retrofit loan scheme under review after disappointing uptake revealed
Plan for marketing campaign, but Sinn Féin says big changes needed A flagship scheme to encourage homeowners to retrofit is being reviewed after struggling to take off. The €500m Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme provided loans to an average of only one household a day in its first year, with borrowings totalling just €17m.
