Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 25 January 2018
235. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his plans to increase affordable housing provision in developments other than those on State or public land; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3779/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government acknowledges the affordability pressures faced by households with low to moderate incomes in particular parts of the country. It is precisely for that reason that the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness has prioritised the supply of new homes to meet current and pent-up demand, as well as helping to moderate house prices and rents, on both public and private lands.
The Government has already implemented a number of measures to facilitate the delivery of homes at more affordable price points, to buy or rent, on private lands. These include:
- a new fast-track planning process for large developments and apartments to speed up decisions and provide greater certainty;
- funding of some €226 million to open up housing lands through the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (LIHAF), to deliver new homes that are more viable and more affordable than would otherwise be the case;
- planning reforms and guidelines to provide flexibility and certainty in delivering viable housing schemes and apartment developments in the right locations; and
- the establishment of Home Building Finance Ireland (HBFI,) a new State funded bank to provide competitive loans for builders, keeping their costs low.
A range of other measures are also being implemented under Rebuilding Ireland to ensure that private land is brought forward for development, without delay, including the removal of the Capital Gains Tax incentive to hold on to residential land, escalating penalties for land hoarding under the Vacant Site Levy and a second phase of LIHAF.
Recognising that measures introduced to date are having an impact and will have a greater impact in time, on 22 January, I announced a further package of initiatives to help alleviate affordability pressures faced by households, particularly in areas of high housing demand and high accommodation costs. Following the Housing Summit with local authority Chief Executives on 22 January, I have asked each Chief Executive to furnish a report to me by mid-February setting out their plans for the delivery of social and affordable homes from their respective land banks.
Further details on the suite of affordability initiatives announced on 22 January can be found at http://rebuildingireland.ie/news/min-murphys-statement-on-affordable-homes/.
