To date, three social housing capital construction projects have been advanced by local authorities via the single stage approval process for projects of up to 15 houses or with a maximum all-in budget up to €2m. These schemes are for the delivery of 3 social homes in Drogheda, Co. Louth, 8 in Athy, Co. Kildare and 4 at Proudstown Road, Navan, Co. Meath.
The uptake under the single-stage approval option was considered in a process and procedures review that was recently completed on ‘Social Housing Design, Approval and Delivery’ and which is available at the following link: http://rebuildingireland.ie/install/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Social-Housing_Approval-Processes-Procedures-Review-1.pdf.
This review looked at the use of the single stage process, noted its poor take-up to date by local authorities and identified the need to undertake further work with individual local authorities with a view to improving take-up. This work is now being progressed in the context of quarterly meetings between my Department and each individual local authority.
Given the process improvements overall in relation to social housing approvals, under which the overall pipeline of social housing construction projects has been expanded significantly to encompass over 10,000 new social homes, it will be a matter for each local authority to decide as to how to advance each individual project. However, the regular technical meetings with the local authorities mean that the option to use the single-stage process can be actively examined on a project-by-project basis.
