Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 January 2015
126. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the extent to which his Department continues to monitor progress in regard to the completion of development works in unfinished housing estates, on a county basis; the extent of the works completed so far and that remaining; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4043/15]
View answerSince 2010, an annual national housing survey of unfinished housing developments has been conducted during the summer months to monitor progress. Since 2010, the number of unfinished housing developments has decreased by approximately, two-thirds; from nearly 3,000 in 2010 to 992 in 2014. It is expected that with the aid of the Special Resolution Fund (SRF), outlined further below, a further 74 developments should be resolved in the months ahead. The SRF has already positively contributed to 12 developments inspected under the 2014 Annual Survey being removed from the list of Unfinished Housing Developments. The detailed findings of the annual surveys, annual progress reports and other useful publications and information in relation to Unfinished Housing Developments are available on the Housing Agency’s website at:
http://www.housing.ie/Our-Services/Unfinished-Housing-Developments.aspx .
As Minister for Housing and Planning and Coordination of Construction 2020, I now chair the National Coordination Committee on Unfinished Housing Developments. The Committee comprises senior representatives of the key stakeholders, including the banking and construction industries, NAMA, local authorities, the Health and Safety Authority, residents and officials from my Department. The Committee was established to drive and oversee the implementation of the recommendations of ‘Resolving Ireland’s Unfinished Housing Developments – Report of the Advisory Group on Unfinished Housing Developments’, published in May 2011.
The Committee has met on 13 occasions and has adopted a collaborative approach amongst its constituent members to promote the work of resolving the housing situation faced by residents of unfinished housing developments. The Committee is scheduled to meet again on 10 February 2015.
The development of Site Resolution Plans (SRPs), agreed between residents, developers, funders and local authority personnel for the finalisation of works on site to render estates as habitable as possible, have been pivotal in resolving a large number of estates. The 2014 National Housing Survey shows that, of the 1,263 estates inspected, there were 587 estates going through the SRP process. This collaborative approach serves the best interests of all concerned and is an effective tool in the resolution process. For more information on Site Resolution Plans, please refer to section 3.4 of the Guidance Manual on Managing and Resolving Unfinished Estates, August 2011 –
http://www.housing.ie/Our-Services/Unfinished-Housing-Developments/Guidance-Manual-on-Resolving-Unfinished-Housing-De/Guidance-Materials/Guidance-Manual_Managing-and-Resolving-Unfinished.aspx .
Budget 2014 contained a special provision, in the form of a targeted €10m Special Resolution Fund (SRF), to assist further in addressing the legacy of unfinished housing developments. The SRF is designed to encourage the resolution of the remaining tranche of unfinished developments identified in the National Housing Development Survey 2013 and, particularly, those developments not likely to be resolved in the normal way through solely developer/owner/funder action because of the presence of specific financial barriers.
On 2 May 2014, allocations from the Special Resolution Fund were announced and 86 developments were approved for funding. The following link contains a list of all developments approved for SRF funding:
http://www.environ.ie/en/DevelopmentHousing/Housing/News/MainBody,37940,en.htm .
The management and administration of issues relating to unfinished housing developments is a matter for individual local authorities. Each local authority has appointed an Unfinished Housing Development co-ordinator; contact details can be found on the Housing Agency’s website at: www.housing.ie .
