Council hits eco-village with €160,000 charge

It's not easy being green.

Residents of Ireland’s first eco-village in Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, have been told by the local council they must pay €160,000 to meet their social and affordable housing requirements.

Being a not-for-profit co-operative, the group was hoping to be exempt from a provision that requires developers to hand over 20% of new estates for affordable housing or make a hefty financial contribution instead. “Our vision is to create a truly social and affordable community, so it’s disappointing that we’re being treated the same as any speculative developer,” said Miriam Kelly, a spokesperson for The Village. North Tipperary council has ruled, however, that Ireland’s first sustainable village falls within the remit of the planning and development act. “We welcome the scheme, but there is no exemption in the act for this kind of development. Our hands are tied,” said Paddy Heffernan, its director of housing.