The development of residential lands owned by local authorities and the Housing Agency, for social housing and, where appropriate, for mixed-tenure developments, is a major priority under the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness. To this end, details of some 1,700 hectares of land in local authority and Housing Agency ownership were published on the Rebuilding Ireland Housing Land Map, with the potential to accommodate some 42,500 homes nationally. The map also includes details of some 300 hectares of land in the ownership of other State or semi-State bodies, with the potential to deliver a further 7,500 homes. All of the mapped sites can be viewed at the following link: http://rebuildingireland.ie/news/rebuilding-ireland-land-map/.
To date, State-led residential construction has been primarily aimed at helping to meet the needs of households in the lowest income brackets, i.e. those that qualify for social housing. In relation to the delivery of more affordable homes, I am introducing an affordable purchase scheme under the relevant provisions of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, and I am determined to establish a substantial cost rental sector, in order to address the affordability gap in housing on a sustainable and long-term basis.
In order to aid local authorities further in delivering affordable housing from their sites, I am providing funding specifically to unlock and service local authority-owned lands for affordable homes to buy or rent. My Department is currently drawing up the criteria for access to this fund, taking account of broader policies on affordable housing, including in relation to the supply of affordable and discounted housing under the 2016 Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund, and will be seeking submissions from local authorities in the coming weeks.
