Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 October 2022
295. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide a breakdown of the €30 million allocation for croí cónaithe funding for 2023, by the cities and towns fund. [48302/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraHousing for All (published in September 2021) provides a new housing plan for Ireland to 2030 with the overall objective that every citizen in the State should have access to good quality homes through a steady supply of housing in the right locations, with economic, social and environmental sustainability built into the system. The strategy sets out, over four pathways, a broad suite of measures to achieve its policy objectives together with a financial commitment of in excess of €4 billion per annum.
The suite of measures under the pathway to addressing vacancy and efficient use of existing stock includes measures funded by the Croí Cónaithe Fund and €30 million in funding has been allocated to the Croí Cónaithe fund in 2023.
Under the Croí Cónaithe (Towns) umbrella, being delivered by local authorities, funding is made available for the provision of serviced sites for housing to attract people to build their own homes and to support the refurbishment of vacant properties, enabling people to live in small towns and villages and in a sustainable way.
Given that a key objective of Pathway 4 of Housing for All is to ensure that the houses we already have are being fully used, I have decided to extend the eligibility for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant to vacant properties in both our cities and rural areas.
The Croí Cónaithe (Cities) Scheme supports the building of apartments for sale to owner-occupiers. The Scheme aims to bridge the current “Viability Gap” between the cost of building apartments and the market sale price (where the cost of building is greater). The scheme is targeted principally at activating planning permissions already in place for such homes.
The scheme launched on the 10th May with an Expressions of Interest process and will be managed and administered by the Housing Agency on behalf of my Department. The closing date for receipt of proposals was 21st June 2022. The Housing Agency is conducting the assessment process and due diligence on the first tranche of Croí Cónaithe apartments at the moment but with anticipated construction timelines of around eighteen months Croí Cónaithe (Cities) supported apartment developments will likely be brought to market from 2024. Therefore, financial supports from the Fund, which only arise on sale of apartments to eligible purchasers, are not expected to be incurred until 2024, with the subsidy budget expected to be distributed across 2024, 2025 and 2026.
A small amount of Croí Cónaithe (Cities) expenditure in scheme development and operational costs and proposal professional review costs will be incurred in 2023. The remaining funding has been allocated to Croí Cónaithe (Towns),
