Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 September 2021
281. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of serviced sites fund, SSF, and affordable housing funding, AHF, affordable purchase homes that will be completed and offered for sale in 2021; and the details of their location, unit size and sale price. [44771/21]
View answerFollowing two broad-based Serviced Sites Fund (SSF) calls for proposals to local authorities, funding of almost €200 million was approved in principle in support of 40 infrastructure projects in 14 local authority areas across 9 counties to assist in the delivery of almost 4,200 affordable homes for purchase or for rent.
Since then and arising from the Programme for Government commitment to extend the Serviced Sites Fund (SSF), a review of SSF progress and projects to date was undertaken. Having regard to feedback from local authorities, a number of significant improvements to the funding scheme, now named the Affordable Housing Funding (AHF) scheme, have been agreed and communicated to local authorities by way of Circular in June 2021.
For those SSF schemes under construction, the Covid pandemic has had an impact on the projected timelines for delivery of housing, due to the closure of the construction sector earlier this year. Accordingly, the first projects to be delivered in 2021 will be the pilot Cost Rental project at Enniskerry Road and the first affordable purchase homes will be the first phase of the Boherboy Road scheme in Cork City. There will be 8 affordable purchase homes delivered in this first phase and Cork City Council has advised my Department that two bedroom homes will be €218,000 and three bedroom homes will be €243,000.
Housing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing targeting the building of 300,000 homes over the next decade for social, affordable and cost rental, private rental and private ownership housing. The measures to deliver this housing are supported by over €4 billion in guaranteed State funding every year, the highest ever level of Government investment in building social and affordable housing.
The AHF will be a key lever in delivering many of the 54,000 affordable homes targeted between now and 2030, with other key funding mechanisms such as the Cost Rental Equity Loan, LDA investment and First Home equity investment also playing their part.
