Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 September 2021
107. Deputy Francis Noel Duffy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans and those of his Department to reserve units in housing developments for first-time buyers as set out in the Housing for All plan; the timeline for this provision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46318/21]
View answerAction 1.10 in Housing for All outlines that a form of ‘owner-occupier guarantee’ will be introduced to enable local authorities to specify the proportion of houses and duplexes in a development for owner-occupiers. This is intended to build on the existing higher-rate stamp duty measures and restrictions on planning permissions introduced in May 2021 by way of section 28 Guidelines on the Regulation of Commercial Institutional Investment in Housing.
The current guidelines ensure that new ‘own-door’ houses and duplex units in housing developments are not bulk-purchased by commercial institutional investors in a manner that causes the displacement of individual purchasers and/or social and affordable housing including cost-rental. The guidelines set out two alternative planning conditions to which planning authorities must have regard, in granting planning permission for new residential development that includes 5 or more houses and/or duplex units.
The conditions restrict such properties to first occupation and use by individual purchasers and those eligible for social/affordable housing including cost-rental. To achieve this, the applicant must enter into an agreement with the planning authority, which may be terminated in certain circumstances.
Action 1.10 seeks to allow local authorities, following on from the preparation of Housing Need and Demand Assessments, to specify a proportion of houses and duplexes in a development for individual purchasers. It is not proposed to restrict this measure to first time buyers, however it may assist such individual purchasers. It is proposed to bring proposals forward in Q4 2021 in this regard.
