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Land Issues

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 February 2018

Tuesday, 27 February 2018

Questions (47, 78, 95)

Catherine Martin

Question:

47. Deputy Catherine Martin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the amount of land owned by the Housing Agency nationwide; the amount of this land zoned capable of residential development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9700/18]

View answer

Eamon Ryan

Question:

78. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the amount of land owned by local authorities nationwide; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9715/18]

View answer

Catherine Martin

Question:

95. Deputy Catherine Martin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the amount of zoned land capable of residential development owned by local authorities nationwide; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9699/18]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 47, 78 and 95 together.

The active management of the publicly-owned housing land bank is part of a range of complementary actions being progressed under the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, designed to accelerate and increase housing output.  To this end, details of some 1,700 hectares of land in local authority and Housing Agency ownership were published on the Rebuilding Ireland Housing Land Map, with the potential to deliver some 42,500 homes nationally. A detailed database and GIS map of these sites showing their location, size, boundaries and other information can be accessed on the Rebuilding Ireland website.

In addition to this mapping exercise, all local authorities and the Housing Agency have been requested to prepare Strategic Development and Management Plans for housing lands in their ownership, with particular emphasis on prioritising those sites with the greatest potential to deliver housing at scale, in the short to medium term. These plans are close to finalisation and will be published on the websites of the respective local authorities and the Housing Agency, in due course.

The delivery of additional social and affordable homes, to buy or rent, will rely on the State developing the full potential of its residential land bank. In relation to social housing developments, as at end Q3 2017, there were 772 schemes, involving some 12,300 homes, at various stages of delivery on local authority and Housing Agency lands. This Construction Status Report is also available on the Rebuilding Ireland website and Minister Murphy will be publishing an updated report shortly, reflecting the position at end 2017.

There remains further significant potential for the delivery of social and affordable homes from the public land bank. Following on from the second Housing Summit with local authority Chief Executives on 22 January, each Chief Executive has been asked to submit in early March an outline of their respective housing delivery programmes. The overall scale of delivery and timescales will be informed by these responses. In the context of my Department's role in driving and co-ordinating housing delivery, a dedicated Residential Land Management and Development Group has been established to oversee this important work.  

Finally, from a longer-term strategic perspective, as part of Project Ireland 2040, the Government announced on 16 February its intention to establish a new National Regeneration and Development Agency, which will have a role in managing the State's wider publicly-owned land bank to ensure that overall development needs, including housing, are met. The new Agency will work closely with local authorities, Government Departments, Agencies and other State and semi-State bodies to secure the best use of public lands and ensure the delivery on the objectives of the National Planning Framework and the National Development Plan.

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