Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 June 2017
2186. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will issue a circular that reverses the decision to stand down all affordable housing provision made in 2011; and if not, the way in which he expects local authorities to provide affordable housing. [27311/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraWhile there are no plans at this stage to introduce a new affordable housing purchase scheme of the kind that existed up to 2011, the Government recognises the housing affordability pressures in certain areas and is determined to see increases in the supply of high quality social and affordable homes, to buy or rent, as quickly as possible, particularly in the major urban areas where demand is greatest.
At a strategic level, under the new 20-year National Planning Framework, there will be an emphasis on managing and utilising State lands to deliver housing and to ensure an active and healthy market for development land. The opening up of State owned lands for the development of mixed-tenure housing is also a key objective under Rebuilding Ireland.
Rebuilding Ireland also commits to the introduction of an affordable rental scheme to enhance the provision of affordable accommodation for households currently paying a disproportionate amount of disposable income on rent. As set out in the Strategy for the Rental Sector, this commitment is being progressed through kick-starting supply in rent pressure zones, leveraging the value of State-owned sites to deliver units for rental targeting middle income households.
On 27 April 2017, I published the Rebuilding Ireland Housing Land Map, a vital initial step in the new strategic approach to State land management. The datasets published on the map include details of over 700 local authority and Housing Agency-owned sites, totalling some 1,700 hectares, as well 30 sites (covering about 200 hectares) owned by State or semi-State bodies. The map is available to view on the Rebuilding Ireland website.
It is crucial that much needed housing for families and individuals on the social housing waiting list, and for those on low to middle incomes, is delivered from local authority and State-owned sites as soon as possible. In the first instance, the specific approach to housing delivery on each site, including the optimum tenure mix, is a matter for the local authority concerned, the elected members included, who best understand the housing needs in their area. In this regard, I welcome the fact that two of the Dublin local authorities have brought forward four key large-scale sites, capable of delivering 3,000 of these new homes, and I expect other local authorities to follow suit.
Mixed-tenure development on publicly-owned land provides the best way forward to deliver social and affordable housing quickly in a fully integrated and sustainable community. Importantly, it allows for risk-sharing and far quicker delivery of social housing and badly needed housing more generally, as part of the full development of individual sites, as a whole. Opening up the supply of State land in this way, for mixed-tenure housing, is a critically important intervention in addressing a situation where the pace of recovery in the house development sector is slower than we would like it to be. In practical terms, the development of these sites will mean accelerating social housing delivery and securing more homes for sale and rent at lower and more affordable price points.
I am committed to ensuring that the State secures the most beneficial use of its currently under-utilised assets for much needed housing in the shortest possible timeframe, and maximises the "public good" dividend through increased and speedier delivery of high-quality social and affordable homes. My Department is working closely with local authorities and other State agencies to ensure that the optimum mix of social and affordable housing is delivered from public land banks in the shortest possible time-frame and in a manner which achieves value for money and the best possible housing outcomes. The approach to be adopted in relation to individual sites will be decided on a case by case basis, taking account of the specific aspects of each site and the particular local housing considerations arising.
