Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 24 January 2018

Wednesday, 24 January 2018

Ceisteanna (193)

Eoin Ó Broin

Ceist:

193. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of houses to be delivered in housing developments benefitting from LIHAF funding that will cost in ranges (details supplied). [3618/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government

The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the table.

Local Authority	Project name	Total Cost	Projected housing delivery by 2021
Clare	Claureen, Ennis	3.66	200
Cork City	Old Whitechurch Road	9.89	600
Cork City	South Docks	15.50	620
Cork County	Midleton (Water-rock)	5.50	520
Cork County	Carrigaline	0.60	400
Cork County	Glanmire	5.90	300
Dublin City	Dodder Bridge	15.75	1500
Dublin City	Belmayne Clongriffin	3.00	850
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown	Cherrywood	15.19	2000
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown	Clay Farm	4.70	350
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown	Woodbrook Shanganagh	4.16	1242
Fingal	Donabate Distributor Road	15.50	1200
Fingal	Oldtown Mooretown	4.90	800
Fingal	Baldoyle Stapolin	6.18	500
Kildare	Sallins	0.93	250
Kildare	Naas	6.00	800
Kildare	Maynooth	14.50	800
Kilkenny	Ferrybank	0.62	200
Kilkenny	Western Environs	6.76	530
Limerick	Mungret	10.50	400
Louth	Newtown Drogheda	1.22	200
Louth	Mount Avenue Dundalk	3.33	212
Meath	Ratoath	3.15	266
Meath	Farganstown, Navan	5.68	400
South Dublin	Kilcarbery / Corkagh Grange	4.39	1000
South Dublin	Clonburris SDZ	3.00	1000
Waterford City and County Council	Gracedieu	1.32	200
Waterford City and County Council	Kilbarry	3.39	400
Westmeath	Brawny Road, Athlone	1.83	200

34 projects, at a total cost of €226 million, received preliminary approval for funding in March 2017 under the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (LIHAF). Local authorities were allowed to proceed to design phase on all of these projects, pending final approval and sign-off of a grant agreement between my Department and Local Authorities.

To date, I have given final approval for 29 of the 34 infrastructure projects which will activate supply of almost 18,000 housing units, and grant agreements in respect of those projects have been signed.  The balance of the projects are being finalised or have been moved for consideration under LIHAF 2 later in 2018.

Within the 18,000 units being advanced, it is expected that increased numbers of social housing over and above the 10% under Part V will be provided. Subject to the planning process and the eventual development applications made, it is estimated that approximately 3,000 of the 18,000 new homes will be for social housing purposes, made up of Part V units and additional social housing which will be provided on the 13 State-owned sites benefiting from the LIHAF-funded enabling infrastructure.  On most of these publicly-owned sites, additional affordable housing will also be provided for sale or for rent.   

As required under the scheme criteria and conditions, a key focus has been to ensure that there is a proportionate dividend for the State’s investment in infrastructure, as demonstrated by either provision of housing at scale at certain prices, a proportionate reduction in house prices across all of the homes being facilitated or a specified number of homes which will benefit from a larger price reduction. I intend to publish summary details on all the approved and advancing projects, once final positions regarding the remaining projects have been reached.

In relation to the 29 sites for which grant agreements have been signed, and subject to completion of the planning process, the number of houses committed to be delivered on each site is set out in the table below.

Based on the information provided by the local authorities in their local agreements and analysis of current house prices in the areas concerned, and recognising the commercial sensitivity around some of the details in the agreements reached, the approved projects outside Dublin are projected to have new homes for sale towards the lower end of the bands identified by the Deputy, while the projects in Dublin are projected to have starter homes available towards the middle and upper end of these bands.