Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 September 2018
809. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his plans for new incentives for affordable housing schemes particularly in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37692/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI commenced the relevant provisions of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, to place the new scheme for affordable purchase on a statutory footing, on 18 June 2018. This Scheme will be delivered by local authorities developing their sites in key locations. The Scheme complements other Government Schemes which help first-time buyers to buy a home, such as the Help to Buy Scheme and the new Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan.
In addition, it is important that cost rental homes become a major part of our rental landscape in the future to fill a gap between social housing and the rental market, making a sustainable impact on housing affordability, national competitiveness, and the attractiveness of our main urban centres as places to live and work. A number of pilot cost rental schemes are being advanced at Enniskerry Road, in Dún Laoghaire Rathdown and at St. Michael’s Estate in Inchicore, Dublin 8. Once these have progressed satisfactorily, I plan to roll out cost rental across other suitable sites.
Furthermore, in order to support local authorities to get their sites ready for affordable housing, I am providing substantial Exchequer funding of €75 million for enabling infrastructure via the Serviced Sites Fund. When local authority co-funding is included, an overall minimum investment of €100 million will be provided to those sites that require infrastructural investment in order for them to be brought into use for affordable housing. The call for proposals under the Serviced Site Fund issued in June, with a closing date of 31st August. The bids received from local authorities under this first call are now being assessed and I expect to make initial funding awards early next month.
From engagements with the local authorities in Dublin, the wider Greater Dublin Area, as well as Cork and Galway cities, their initial estimates suggest that they have lands with the potential to deliver some 4,000 new affordable homes. My Department is continuing to work with the key local authorities and the Housing Agency to identify sites which would see the level of ambition increase to at least 10,000 new affordable homes from local authority-owned land.
As I have indicated previously, including at the Third Housing Summit with Local Authority Chief Executives in early July, and the follow-up session with LA Directors of Housing, the provision of affordable housing should be targeted in areas where the market is failing to provide such affordable homes to buy or rent and is unlikely to do so in the near future.
In order to evaluate the necessity and feasibility of providing affordable housing and the financial assessment of the viability of local authority sites, authorities need to carry out an economic assessment of housing affordability locally. My Department will be writing to local authorities to ensure a uniform and consistent approach to this assessment nationally.
