The property development company which owns one of Kerry’s most infamous ghost estates hopes to sell the houses to an Approved Housing Body (AHB) or Kerry County Council.
The Annagh Banks estate outside Castlemaine consists of 14 unfinished and empty homes, on which construction began in 2006.
Mollmac Developments Ltd, which has been the full owner of the site since 2014, was granted planning permission to retain the existing works, and finish the houses, in August 2020.
The current status of the ghost estate was revealed in the three-part documentary series, “Is There Anybody in There?”, which is airing this week on Radio Kerry.
The completion of the houses at Annagh Banks began again in 2021, on the understanding an Approved Housing Body would purchase the houses when they were finished.
The project then fell through after this AHB pulled out of the deal due to issues with insurance regarding a 1,000-year flood test for the site, leaving the houses once again lying idle and unfinished.
The company told Radio Kerry it would be very difficult to finance the completion of the project other than in a social contract.
The company said it’s attempting to engage with Kerry County Council, about either the council purchasing the site or advising of another body that would buy the houses.
Council management have brushed off the idea of the local authority stepping in to buy the estate at recent council meetings, adding there are significant issues with the site.
Kerry County Council told Radio Kerry it could not comment on what these issues are.
Mollmac Developments Ltd said it has no concerns as to the safety of the site, adding all issues will be resolved.
The company said if progress isn’t made soon with housing bodies, it will eventually finish the houses and sell them to individuals on the open market.
Given the company has other projects ongoing, it’s unknown how much of a priority the Annagh Banks estate would be for it without the certainty of social housing finance.
The documentary series “Is There Anybody in There?”, continues tomorrow with the third part airing between 9-11am during Kerry Today.
