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RTÉ News
5 days ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
Move-in date for Portlaoise homes delayed due to lack of power
Eighty new homeowners who have paid up to €480,000 for houses in the Sandwood estate in Portlaoise, Co Laois have had their move-in date postponed by several months because the homes have no electricity. Andrew Dollard and his wife Julie are two of the new homeowners. The family initially believed that they would move into their new house in the early months of 2025. However, that has not happened, and they do not know when it will. "The house is fully kitted out. It has carpets, floors, windows and doors. It has everything you need in a house but it no electricity," Andrew Dollard said. "We started this [buying the house] in 2024. We love the house. We got the move in dates. This is our first home, our family home. It's got to the point where we don't even really want it anymore. "They've taken the good out of buying your first home," he reflected. Speaking to RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Ms Dollard said she feels that the excitement of buying a new home has dissipated. "We're at the stage of our lives where we want to provide a home to our family. It was exciting for us and now this has taken all the fun out of it," she said. "Our mortgage lapses at the end of the month; we've to do all this all over again. We're afraid nearly to get our hopes up because we've been let down so many times." "Even still we don't really know when the exact date [move-in] is. We're hearing December now. It's soul destroying really," she added. Mr Dollard said that they will "struggle for 30 years to pay for this house". "I would love for somebody to be held accountable for what's going on," he said. The homeowners were complimentary of the developers, Holybrook who submitted the connection application to the ESB in March of 2024. 'Complex project in a power-constrained area' - ESB In a statement, ESB Networks said this has been "a complex project in a power-constrained area and it was actively working to upgrade the substation needed to connect the homes." "Following some necessary updates to the application, we received confirmation and payment from the developer within the past four weeks," it said. "With this in place, we are now progressing preparations to move forward with the infrastructure installation." Meanwhile Kaushik Bhaskamran, who has bought one of the 80 houses in Sandwood, lives and rents in Limerick. He has enrolled his four-year-old son to start school in Portlaoise this September. That is now up in the air. "We went and spoke to the principal in Limerick," Mr Bhaskamran said. "They said they are happy for him to continue in Limerick as long as is needed and then once we get into the house in Portlaoise we can talk to the other school. "We recently got news from the builder that it could be by December of 2025 before we can move in. We all know what happens in December so possibly it could be January of 2026." "If that's the case, I will have to reapply for my mortgage. If this keeps extending I don't how many times I've to keep applying for mortgages," he added. Laois-based Sinn Féin Senator Maria McCormack first became aware of this issue two months ago and has called on Minister for Housing James Browne to intervene. "Things just need to speed up," she said. "The red tape needs to be cut and Minister Browne just needs to step in and release whatever funding needs to be released." "These transformers need to be put on-site in Portlaoise so these families can get into their houses," Senator McCormack added. Department of Housing says matter should be addressed to ESB In a statement the Department of Housing said that the matter "should be addressed directly to ESB Networks who are responsible for providing connections for new housing". "Late last year ESB Networks submitted their plans for 2026-2030 to the Commission for Regulation of Utilities [CRU] and they are planning to meet housing growth, economic growth, electric vehicles and the electrification of home and commercial heating," the statement added. However, Senator McCormack maintains that responsibility for the absence of power in the houses concerned rests with ESB Networks. "Holybrook Developers put in an initial application [for the houses to be connected to the ESB network] on 28 March 2024. They have given plenty of notice and the delay is clearly not on their end. "The delay is clearly with the ESB. They are stating capacity issues, but these are 80 families who are locked out of their houses." Another homeowner, Georgina James, is hoping that the matter will be expedited as she is currently renting. "I'm renting a house in Portlaoise at the moment, but my tenancy agreement is expiring soon so we definitely need clarity on the handover date," she said. This sentiment was echoed by Jensen Jacob who also bought one of the houses. "My current landlord is selling my apartment, so it looks like I don't have any place by the end of this month to live in. "Finding a new rental in the short term is also going to be impossible. No one is going to give me a short-term rental." Meanwhile Mr Dollard is worried that the absence of electricity to heat his new house will lead to long term issues. "We can't put the power on, we can't put the heating on. "If it starts raining or snowing come December, how do we keep the house dry? How does the damp stop? How do you keep mould out? "We own the house so even if mould comes and stuff like that, that's absolutely abysmal," he said.
The Journal
10-07-2025
- Business
- The Journal
Electricity shortcomings in Portlaoise see up to 80 newly built homes lying vacant
UP TO 80 families are unable to move into newly built homes in Portlaoise because of delays in the site's electricity connection. Having received an initial move in date for last April, they are now being told it may be December – or even later. The developer, Hollybrook, submitted the connection application for Sandwood estate in the Co Laois town to ESB last year. However, the ESB has cited capacity issues at the local substation in Portlaoise as the reason for the ongoing delay. It adds to infrastructure woes facing Government politicians, with Taoiseach Micheál Martin and senior ministers regularly raising similar capacity issues with water connections as one of the big blocks facing housing over the past six months since returning to office. A number of families told The Journal that they had already sorted school places in the town for their kids for September but are now having to reverse those plans. Others are having to reapply for their mortgages and Help to Buy loans due to the time delay, while one new homeowner said the delays mean he's facing 'losing €400 a month' by having to pay rent elsewhere for the rest of the year. A graphic from the website for the new development. Hollybrook Hollybrook Andrew Dollard, a welder living in the town, said it has been a 'horrible' experience for him and his wife, who are waiting to move into the bigger space with their two infant children. Several of the homes went sale agreed at costing around €490,000. 'We're after pumping every penny that we have into a house and we can't even get in,' Dollard told The Journal . Advertisement 'We initially were told that we'd be in the house for January 2025,' the 38-year-old said, explaining that the date kept getting pushed back. 'It became July, September and December. And at this point I don't even think it will be December.' Kaushik Bhaskaran, a software developer who is currently renting a property in Limerick with his young family, said April was the date provided to him for moving in. 'I thought, okay, there is usually a two-month delay with these things and that's fine, but I'm now being told December. But there's no certainty in that,' he said. 'For me and most of these people it's our first house and we've worked hard to save up for these houses. I had booked sofas, beds, furniture for the house and now the company is telling me that I have to get that delivered, the time is up. I'm at a deficit of €6,000 – do I have to put that into storage? It's just so much pressure.' A kitchen inside one of the newly built houses. Dollard said that the home has 'everything done' and just needs the ESB connection. 'It has the doors, the windows, the floors, the tiles, the bathrooms, the kitchen. There's nothing else left to do only turn a light switch on, but we can't turn the light switch on.' He added: 'I can't fathom how Ireland is supposed to be one of the richest countries in the world, but yet we're waiting a year to get transformers brought into the country.' Raised with Housing Minister Sinn Féin Senator Maria McCormack raised the issue at this week's Oireachtas Housing Committee where she described the situation as 'completely unacceptable' to Housing Minister James Browne, who said he would examine the issue. McCormack also raised concerns that ESB's planning and capacity estimates were based on 'outdated figures' from the Department of Housing, failing to reflect the reality of Laois's growing population and housing needs. 'Portlaoise is a rapidly growing town. We are taking the overspill from the cities as a commuter belt county, but we are not being prioritised when it comes to critical infrastructure like power and water,' she said, blaming 'years of poor planning and a lack of investment' in key services in smaller counties like Laois. The ESB was contacted for comment and did not respond in time for publication. 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
