GOVERNMENT ROLLS OUT €150M HOUSING FUND FOR LOCAL AUTHORITIES

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A €150m social housing fund will be made available to local authorities for towns and cities eligible for the Urban Regeneration Development Fund (URDF). to end long-term vacancy and dereliction.

The funding was recently announced by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Tánaiste Micheál Martin, and Ministers Eamon Ryan and Darragh O’Brien, as part of the quarterly ‘Housing for All’ progress update.

Local authorities, when applying for the funding, have indicated that they could identify projects generating 4,850 residential units. They will receive a grant for the entire 100% cost of acquiring suitable properties identified within their communities, reflecting the high priority the Government has placed on boosting accommodation and tackling dereliction It complements several existing schemes to tackle vacancy and dereliction.

The Taoiseach, Tánaiste, Minister Ryan and Minister O’Brien also signalled their commitment to boost innovation and capacity in the construction sector, by publishing a Roadmap for Increased Adoption of Modern Methods of Construction in Public Housing Delivery. Modern Methods of Construction have the potential to dramatically improve construction sector productivity, innovation, speed of delivery, sustainability and ultimately costs.

The quarterly review revealed that work has started on 13,000 new homes since January, with large numbers buying their own home, aided by schemes such as ‘Help to Buy’ and ‘First Home’.

During the second quarter, planning permission was approved for over 2,500 homes on state lands, €104m in funding was allocated to build 853 social and affordable homes at Oscar Traynor Road in Dublin, with €62m in funding allocated for more than 1,000 student accommodation beds.

The first contract was signed under the Croí Cónaithe (Cities) Scheme to activate building of homes for owner-occupiers. A review of the National Planning Framework has started, along with a public consultation on the future of the rental sector in Ireland and the development of a new action plan to promote careers in construction.