WATCH: Drone footage of Carlow ghost estate causes shock

Carlow locals have expressed shock and anger after viewing drone footage of a ghost estate in Tullow. 

Videographer and local weatherman Alan O'Reilly shared the captured footage of Glendale Estate on Shillelagh Road on his personal Twitter account this week, where it has since attracted almost 350,000 views and comments from almost 100 people. 

Alan published the video of the estate with the caption: "A housing crisis you say? These are sitting there as a ghost estate for over 10 years on the edge of Tullow!" 

A housing crisis you say? These are sitting there as a ghost estate for over 10 years on the edge of Tullow! pic.twitter.com/ePumPmPFAv

— Alan O'Reilly (@saloreilly) January 21, 2023

One commenter said it was "shocking" while another described it as "an absolute scandal". 

Ireland has plenty of unused or under used properties. The 'rent a room' scheme should be reviewed to give homeowners more confidence to share their homes. Plenty of room in Ireland.

— Heidi and I (@cafemanila) January 22, 2023

Apparently the Developer didn’t leave enough space between the houses. Carlow County Council’s Planning is having issues with the Developer over same. Hopefully it can be resolved.

— Claire jackson (@clairejackson57) January 21, 2023

Every small town and village has houses lying idle. There no housing crisis, there’s a property/site hoarding crisis. Any property left idle should be CPO’d after a certain amount of time has passed

— Eric Hennelly Flanagan (@EricHFlanagan) January 21, 2023

I'd say that almost every town in the country has at least one ghost estate. The greed of the Celtic Tiger to develop lands for very profitable housing (at the time) kinda fell flat on its face after 2008.
Bloody scandalous...

— ɮʀɨǟռ աɦɛʟǟռ (@EI8EJB) January 21, 2023

Did the Census in a rural area with 12% vacant - but people don't want to live in these places.

— Aonghus (@Aonghus_M) January 21, 2023

The 62-home site was initially developed for use as a retirement village, however it has since sat unused for over a decade despite being almost completed. 

According to The Independent, the units were reportedly bought for just over €10,000 apiece despite asking prices of €2,381 each, with the buyer acquiring all houses on the site for a total €649,000. 

The sale was conducted in July 2012 on behalf of a bank whose client had gone into receivership, with 20 interested parties in the auction room at the time. 

Carlow county planners ordered the demolition of some of the houses in 2022 following an application by Nimbus Property Company Ltd seeking permission to construct eight new homes on the site. 

The order to reconfigure the site was due to the overall design and layout being of "serious concern" to the Planning Authority. 

In a letter to Nimbus sent in August 2022, the council identified the "significant quantity of dwelling units" as not adhering to the minimum private open space standards of 55m2 (set out in the Carlow County Development Plan 2022 - 2028). 

The close proximity of blocks M and N to O and P (providing a separation distance of just over 10m) was noted to "adversely impact" the overall residential and visual amenities of the future occupants of the units. 

The design of blocks E and F was also noted as a cause for concern due to issues such as the dominance of boundary walls. 

Despite acknowledging the existing buildings were constructed under previous planning references, the council recommended the "omission" of blocks O, P and Q. 

The order to demolish the units has drawn the ire of locals including Councillors John Pender and William Paton, who expressed their objections at a council meeting in September 2022. 

A total of 11,392 homeless people were recorded across Ireland the same month, marking a record high which was then broken in November 2022 when 11,542 people were homeless. 

According to a report by RTE yesterday (Wednesday January 25), 75 ghost estates or "unfinished developments" still exist across Ireland more than 15 years after the Celtic Tiger crash. 

This reportedly includes 40 entirely unoccupied estates and 35 partially occupied estates. 

In a statement to RTE, a Department of Housing spokesperson said the ghost estates figure has decreased significantly in comparison to 2010, when there were almost 3,000 unfinished developments (approximately 70,000 homes) across the country. 

Alan told Carlow Live he wants to see the homes at Glendale Estate completed and the site occupied "as soon as possible". 

He said, "It has been nearly 20 years now since planning was granted and homes are badly needed in town. I hope a solution can be found quickly to get this site open and people moving in."