Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 July 2016
198. 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 to date and that remaining; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23101/16]
View answerSince 2010, an annual survey of unfinished housing developments has been conducted during the summer months to monitor progress. The detailed findings of the annual surveys, which provide a breakdown of unfinished housing developments in each local authority area, together with progress reports and other useful information in relation to Unfinished Housing Developments, are available on the Housing Agency’s website: www.housing.ie.
The latest annual progress report, Resolving Unfinished Housing Developments, was published by the Agency in December 2015 and is available at the following web link: http://www.housing.ie/getattachment/Our-Services/Unfinished-Housing-Developments/2015-National-Housing-Survey/Progress-Report-on-UHDs-Dec-2015-(final).pdf.
The report found that 668 developments remained unfinished in 2015, which represents a reduction of 324 on the 992 unfinished housing developments remaining after the previous survey in 2014, and a reduction of some 75% on the overall number of nearly 3,000 unfinished housing developments originally identified in 2010.
Earlier this week, the Government published Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness which sets out a practical and readily implementable set of actions that will increase annual housing supply to 25,000 units by 2020, thereby creating a functioning and sustainable housing system. The plan is available at the website www.rebuildingireland.ie.
The plan is divided into five pillars, with each targeting a specific area of the housing system for attention. Pillar 5, entitled Utilise Existing Housing, has a key objective of ensuring that existing housing stock is used to the maximum degree possible, focusing on measures to use vacant housing to renew urban and rural areas. Action 5.1 3 under this Pillar refers to continuing work on unfinished housing developments and exploring opportunities in terms of social housing, based on the most up-to-date data from the 2016 survey.
