Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 September 2022
70. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 54 of 5 May 2022, the status of the implementation of affordable housing schemes in County Mayo; the progress that has been made with Mayo County Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46922/22]
View answerMayo County Council conducted a county-wide affordable housing expression of interest public survey earlier this year. The Council also commissioned a specific KPMG report regarding the level of new housing need with affordability constraint in Westport.
I understand that Mayo County Council are working on an affordable housing proposal and may apply for funding under the Affordable Housing Fund.
Furthermore, I recently announced the ‘Ready to Build’ Scheme. The scheme will be funded from the Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund. Under the scheme, local authorities will make serviced sites available in towns and villages to potential purchasers for the building by the purchaser of a principal private residence. The sites will be sold at a discounted rate of up to €30,000 from the market value. The discount will be determined by the cost of servicing the site. This will facilitate the making available of some 2,000 sites for homes by 2025 and can be availed of by Mayo County Council to help meet affordable housing need.
Finally, the First Home Scheme, launched in July this year, supports first-time buyers in purchasing new houses and apartments in the private market through the use of an equity share model, similar to that employed in the Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme. The Scheme aims to support in the region of 8,000 households in acquiring new homes in the private market in the years 2022 to 2026 with an overall budget of €400 million. The scheme is available nationwide.
