The policy of Sustainable Communities, that is encouraging the provision of a choice of house type, size and tenure within a single neighbourhood - referred to as the “sustainable neighbourhood” - has been Government policy since 2007. Its objective is to avoid the significant effects of social isolation and limiting of opportunities that can occur with large mono - tenure estates, frequently necessitating the irregeneration and remediation at a later stage with consider able cost exposure to the State. This policy approach was reaffirmed in the Social Housing Strategy 2020 published in November 2014 which further defined sustainable neighbourhoods as “areas where an efficient use of land, high quality urban design and effective integration in the provision of physical and social infrastructure such as public transport, schools, amenities and other facilities combine to create places people want to live”.
My Department has produced considerable planning guidance, including Sustainable Residential Development in Urban Areas (2010) and the Manual for Urban Roads and
Streets (2013) to assist local authorities to promote Sustainable Communities. In addition, the Department guidance document Quality Housing for Sustainable Communities seeks to promote quality and value for money in publicly funded housing.
While delivering on this policy approach may add to the challenge of housing delivery in certain circumstances, I believe that sustainable neighbourhood housing can be delivered on in a timely manner. Rebuilding Ireland is predicated on that objective and, with respect to social housing, €5.35 billion will be invested over the period of the Action Plan, delivering some 47,000 social housing units.
This is an ambitious target but there is now a significant pipeline of projects in place, as set out in my Department’s recently published Social Housing Construction Projects Report, that will address housing need while still respecting the important goal of creating sustainable neighbourhoods. The report outlines details of some 8,430 social housing units in more than 500 developments nationwide, backed by a €1.3 billion budget for 2017 alone. The units concerned are at various stages in the development process, from initial capital investment approval to on-site development stage.
It should be noted that these developments do not include projects which are being progressed through public private partnerships, vacant units which are being brought back into use or acquisitions.
