I propose to take Questions Nos. 310 to 313, inclusive, together.
In order to support the affordable housing programmes of local authorities, the Government has committed €310 million, over the three years 2019 to 2021, under the Serviced Sites Fund (SSF) announced as part of Budget 2019. The funding is available for key facilitating infrastructure, on public lands, to support the provision of affordable homes to purchase or rent. I envisage a maximum amount of SSF funding of €50,000 per affordable home and on this basis, at least 6,200 affordable homes could be facilitated.
On 11 December 2018, I issued approval in principle for ten infrastructure projects across five local authority areas, in Dublin and Cork, under the first call for proposals. The first tranche of funding of €43 million will enable delivery of 1,400 affordable homes on local authority lands. I expect infrastructure works on these projects to begin as soon as possible in 2019 and delivery of affordable homes from 2020 onwards. Details of the projects are set out in Table 1.
There are five further projects under active consideration by my Department, with the potential to facilitate the delivery of an additional 230 affordable homes. Details of these sites are set out in Table 2.
All local authorities have been requested to carry out economic assessments of the requirement for affordable housing in their areas and the viability to deliver such affordable housing from their sites. As part of the process my Department hosted a workshop for local authorities on 8th November 2018, to discuss these issues. A second call for proposals under the SSF will be made shortly. The scope of that call will be influenced by the information received from local authorities, as part of the aforementioned assessments.
An important factor in the allocation of funding under the SSF is the capacity to translate that funding into a discount on the affordable homes. In addition, local authorities must consider the market price of similar homes on sale locally in the private market and the level of discount on market price envisaged, which will be required under the Affordable Purchase Scheme terms. The objective is to maximise the benefits from public money by funding the best value for money proposals possible. My Department continues to engage pro-actively with local authorities regarding these issues and meets with local authorities, individually and collectively, in a range of different formations, on a regular basis, in relation to their housing programmes. In the coming weeks, officials from my Department will be meeting with the local authorities who received approval under the first call in relation to the development of these sites.
Table 1: List of (ten) proposals that have received approval in principle
Local Authority
|
Project/Location
|
Total Provisional Cost of Proposal
(100%)
€
|
Provisional Exchequer Grant Amount (89%)
€
|
Provisional Local Authority Contribution
(11%)
€
|
Type of Infrastructure proposed
|
Affordable
Housing Potential
|
Total (Social & Affordable)
Housing Potential
|
Cork County
|
Glanmire
|
€1,500,000
|
€1,335,000
|
€165,000
|
Cycle way; foul-pumping station; pedestrian bridge; road widening; and streetscape enhancement
|
20
|
77
|
Cork City
|
Boherboy Road
|
€4,968,366
|
€4,421,846
|
€546,520
|
Crèche and associated site development/ancillary works to include realignment of existing public road to enhance vehicular accessibility
|
103
|
147
|
Cork City
|
Kilmore Road, Churchfield
|
€1,410,551
|
€1,255,390
|
€155,160
|
Relocation of 800mm diameter water main and public road realignment
|
21
|
21
|
Dublin City
|
Cherry Orchard
|
€7,645,415
|
€6,804,419
|
€840,996
|
Diversion of ESB networks underground service; Irish Water foul main to open up western boundary of site for development, as well as the new link road and access roads, with associated new utility infrastructure to proposed new housing with off-street parking to houses, and surface parking to apartment buildings
|
183
|
183
|
Dublin City
|
Balbutcher, Ballymun
|
€4,135,351
|
€3,680,462
|
€454,889
|
Diversion of ESB Networks underground service and remove both an Irish Water potable water and foul sewer along with an Eir service coupled with construction of new access roads.
|
74
|
74
|
Dublin City
|
Sillogue, Ballymun
|
€3,975,000
|
€3,537,750
|
€437,250
|
Service diversions for storm water, foul water, Gas Networks Ireland and Eir; removal of redundant IW potable water service’ provision of new road, footpaths and associated services to provide street frontage
|
83
|
83
|
DLR
|
Enniskerry Road
|
€4,537,576
|
€4,038,443
|
€499,133
|
Storm water management system; foul drains; roads, paths, pavings; public amenity park; resource centre; district heating system.
|
50
|
155
|
Fingal
|
Church Fields, Mulhuddart
|
€11,000,000
|
€9,790,000
|
€1,210,000
|
Extension of Wellview Ave to the roundabout at Damastown Avenue thereby establishing it as main the distributor route; upgrading of Wellview Avenue from roundabout at Lady’s Well Road to where currently ends at Wellview Green.
|
753
|
1255
|
Fingal
|
Dun Emer, Lusk
|
€1,500,000
|
€1,335,000
|
€165,000
|
Construction of Kilhedge Lane, including provision for associated civil and utility services infrastructure
|
74
|
99
|
Fingal
|
Hackettstown, Skerries
|
€2,198,667
|
€1,956,814
|
€241,853
|
Upgrade of Golf Links Road including widening and reconstruction of same; road connection to include new bridge from Phase 1 lands (to North of site) to the Fingal County Council lands to the South; new North/South access road to be designed as an urban street with hard and soft landscaping,
|
49
|
98
|
Total
|
|
€42,870,926
|
€38,155,124
|
€4,715,801
|
|
1410
|
2192
|
Table 2: List of (five) proposals still under active consideration at this stage
Local Authority
|
Project/
Location
|
Total Cost of Proposal Submitted
|
Affordable
Housing Potential
|
Total (Social & Affordable)
Housing Potential
|
Fingal
|
Cappagh
|
€3,552,500
|
122
|
203
|
Galway City
|
Bóthar an Choiste
|
€2,174,128
|
45
|
45
|
Kildare
|
Newtown, Celbridge
|
€300,000
|
10
|
36
|
Meath
|
Tailteann Drive, Navan
|
€1,662,729
|
33
|
33
|
Wicklow
|
Lott Lane, Kilcoole
|
€380,000
|
24
|
120
|
Total
|
|
€8,069,357
|
234
|
437
|