Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 14 December 2022
83. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has plans that will rapidly shift the focus of building companies towards the building and renovating of social and affordable homes for local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62580/22]
View answerHousing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. This includes the delivery of 90,000 social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase homes and 18,000 cost rental homes. Housing for All is supported by an investment package of over €4bn per annum, through an overall combination of €12bn in direct Exchequer funding, €3.5bn in funding through the Land Development Agency (LDA) and €5bn funding through the Housing Finance Agency.
Under Housing for All, the Government will deliver 47,600 new build social homes; 3,500 social homes through long-term leasing and 28,500 new affordable homes in the period 2022-2026. Local authorities have also published Housing Delivery Action Plans, setting out details of social and affordable housing delivery over a five-year period, which includes details of the locations of housing projects. The high level of ambition in Housing for All, backed by record levels of State investment in public housing, provides clear evidence of Government commitment to residential construction and provides significant opportunities to the construction sector.
Separately, the LDA has an immediate focus on managing the State’s own lands to develop new homes, and regenerate under-utilised sites. In the longer-term, it will assemble strategic land-banks from a mix of public and private lands making these available for housing in a controlled manner, which is expected to bring essential more long-term stability to the Irish housing market.
The LDA is also tasked with unlocking stalled private, planning-consented developments in the shorter-term through its market engagement initiative, Project Tosaigh. An expressions of interest process was launched at the end of 2021 and the LDA now has a pipeline of projects anticipated to deliver affordable for sale and cost rental homes. The LDA recently launched a renewed expressions of interest process under Project Tosaigh seeking proposals from the homebuilding sector for the forward purchase of unbuilt residential units. Work is underway in assessing proposals submitted.
Measures have also been introduced to support regeneration and refurbishment. Addressing vacancy is a central element of Housing for All, and in their Housing Delivery Acton Plans, local authorities have addressed measures to deliver social homes and address vacancy through the Repair and Lease and Buy and Renew schemes. In July, I launched the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant as part of the Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund. The grant benefits those who wish to turn a formerly vacant house or building into their principal private residence. The grant was initially launched in respect of vacant properties in towns and villages but I am pleased to say that as of the 15 November, the expanded grant also includes eligible vacant properties in both cities and rural areas (in addition to those in towns and villages, which have been eligible since July). Further information is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/press-release/969fb-vacant-property-refurbishment-grant-expanded-to-cities-and-remote-rural-areas/.
In September, I launched the Ready to Build Scheme, also funded by the Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund. Under the Ready to Build Scheme, local authorities will make serviced sites in towns and villages available to potential individual purchasers to build their homes. These sites will be available at a discount on the market value of the site for the building of a property for occupation as the principal private residence of the purchaser. All available sites will be advertised on the relevant local authority’s website and / or in relevant local publications along with a closing date for receipt of applications. As the scheme has recently launched, each local authority has been asked to assess suitable sites for the scheme.
