Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The current indications are that to meet rising demand and address recent under-supply, the level of house building in Dublin needs to at least double from the 3,000 or so new homes that were built in 2014. Consequently, the Minister and I wrote to the chief executives of each of the four Dublin local authorities regarding the preparation and finalisation of the new development plans for their areas. The letter requested the local authorities to focus on practical measures for inclusion in the development plans to boost housing supply and ensure good quality housing in suitable locations is available at prices that people can afford and that investors will find attractive to develop for the rental market.

Current indications are that viability of new housing construction in Dublin, although improving, remains in a very fragile condition. Therefore, it is essential that the development plan places the viability of development and early delivery as a high priority. Requiring particular or proprietary forms of housing construction or large setback distances of existing housing from new apartments will increase development costs and result in higher house prices and rents.

The purpose of the letter is not to compromise quality or standards. Indeed, it should be clearly understood and I want to emphasise that the building standards in this country respect and meet all relevant EU requirements. The intent of our letter is to encourage the local authorities concerned to ensure the development plan process supports the viability of new development through rigorous economic and regulatory impact assessment of any new or existing development plan standards that are above relevant national minimum requirements.

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