Houses in Meath 'Unaffordable to Many' O'Rourke

affordable to rent and unavailable to buy; stop providingsubsidiesfordevelopers,whichhavelined developers' pockets and kept house prices skyhigh; and dramatically increase the delivery of genuinely affordable purchase homes, in line with theÓCualannmodel.

low what is needed, especially according to the HousingCommission.”

Continued from Page 1 new estate in Ashbourne from €475,000; and fourbedroom houses in Ratoath starting at €539,000.Thesearesimply unaffordable.”

Hewentalongwithherto Navan AC and there Dave found a community of devoted and dedicated people. He was made welcome straight away and it is from here that he discovered his love for running.

Sinn

TD Darren O'Rourke says house pricesinCountyMeathare out of reach of very many people.TheMeathEastTD made the comments duringaDáildebatethisweek on a motion from the Social Democrats on affordablehousing.

The motion called on Government to stop incentivising a model of housing provision that makes home ownership increasingly unlikely; ensure public money is not invested in the delivery of private rental-only developments that are un-

Deputy O'Rourke said "The shortage of, and absolute need for, affordable homestobuyisamajorissue throughout the State and in my own county of Meath. In Meath, we have a proven track record, relative to other counties, in delivering housing, but it isnowherenearenoughto meet demand.” “The census results announced this week further confirm thattobethecase,withrecordlownumbersofhome ownership and record high numbers of children living at home for longer and longer. The Government's targets are way be-

He continued "The current spatial strategy plans to significantly curtail development in the county during the lifetime of the current Meath County Development Plan to 2027. We have development in Meath, which is welcome, but it is slowing. Unfortunately, what development we have is most certainly not affordable to buy or rent; the exact opposite is thecase.”

"Ilookedatwhatisavailabletobuyinmyownconstituency of Meath East on daft.ie this morning. Very little was available by way of secondhand homes. Withregardtonewhomes, there were two-bedroom homes in Dunshaughlin from €375,000; three-bedroom terraced houses in the same estate from €445,000; three-bedroom semi-detachedhousesina

"This is not an academic debate. It has a real and profound impact on people. Young people want to answer the questionofwheretheywilllive. They wonder when they will be able to start a family;wheretheirkidswillgo to school and whether they can live near their parents to support and care for them as they get older. Very often, most regrettably, they realise they candononeofthissothey feel they have no option buttoemigrate.”

Deputy O’Rourke concluded by saying "The Government's policy on affordable housing is failing horrendously. They need to take on board the proposalsfromtheOpposition.”

Dave explained that running helps keep his mental health in check and if he feels he is in any way going down, he goes forarun.

He ran his first marathon in aid of Meath River Rescue in 2018 and it was during a hike in Donegal earlier this year that he decided to undertake this epic run. He explains that he has been back to Donegal 3 times since his hike and has fallen in love with the area.

The run will take a total of three days and will coveradistanceof227km. It will be split into 2 days of running 80km and on the third day he will run 67km.

Withthehelpofafriend whoownsagymandwho is an ultra marathon runner, Dave has been training hard since February. He will have support along the route with a Meath River Rescue vehicle carrying foodandwater.

Daveexplainedheisjust trying to get the message out there that you are not alone and there is indeed light at the end of the tunnel.

A GoFundme page will be set up very soon with anyonelookingtosupport Dave in his quest. The funds raised will go to SOSAD and Meath River Rescue.