Astrid Madsen
Tipperary County Council is making four serviced sites available for purchase to first time self-builders.
In this article we cover:
- Where the sites are, how much they cost, who qualifies and how to apply
- What is a serviced site and what is the government’s Ready to Build serviced sites scheme
- What serviced sites are available in Wicklow, Kildare, Westmeath, Laois
Tipperary County Council has announced it is selling four fully serviced serviced sites, at a discount.
Each site is selling for €25,000; the cost reflects the land value and the site having been serviced for free by Tipperary County Council. The council can pay up to €30,000 to service the site.
Serviced sites have a connection to water, sewage and electricity that are ready to connect to. Sites are serviced in order to build a one-off home.
The village of Boherlahan is close to the M8 motorway with entry points at Horse and Jockey and Cashel, and has a primary school. There is also school bus access to secondary schools in Cashel and Thurles.
Applications open on March 25th 2024 and close on April 12th 2024.
Eligibility and how to apply
Anyone can purchase a site as long as they meet the criteria under the government’s Ready to Build Scheme: Serviced Sites for New Homes under the Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund.
Completed application forms can be downloaded here and emailed to affordablehousing@tipperarycoco.ie or posted to: Ready to Build Boherlahan, Civic Offices, Emmet Street, Clonmel, Co Tipperary, E91N512.
After that, from April 15th to the 3rd of May, applications will be assessed according to the following criteria:
- First preference: Applicants who are First Time or who qualify under the ‘Fresh Start’ principle.
- Second preference: Applicants (other than 1 above) who have particular needs – specifically, disabled people or older people who are moving from their current home which they are selling or have sold and want to live in a town or village setting.
- Third preference: Applicants (other than 1 and 2 above) who are moving from their current home which they are selling or have sold and want to live in a town or village setting
If there is more than one qualified applicant for each site, the order of priority will be completed by putting the applicants into a draw. Offers will be made between May 7th and May 10th 2024.
The offer must be accepted within five working days and a 10 per cent deposit (€2,500) must be paid within five working days of accepting the offer. If the offer isn’t accepted, the next person on the priority list will be offered the site.
A separate application is required for each site.
After putting down your deposit, you must apply for planning permission to build your home within three months. Otherwise the site reverts back to the Council.
The balance of €22,500 is to be paid once planning permission has been granted and the site becomes your property. This must be paid within the timeframe stated on the contract documents.
You must commence construction of your home within 12 months of the date of grant of planning permission. If no construction has commenced then you must pay the full monetary value of the discount (the cost of servicing the site) to the Council.
Other serviced sites: Wicklow, Kildare, Westmeath, Laois
In County Wicklow, there are three serviced sites available to buy in Kilcommon, Tinahely, at a cost of €35,00 each.
In County Kildare, serviced sites will be made available for purchase in Clogharinka. The council’s page for serviced sites is here.
In County Westmeath, 10 sites could be made available in the Killeenboylegan townland of Moate, on the Clara Road and a further nine sites in the Townparks townland of Catlepollard on the Dublin Road.
English