Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Boyd Barrett has spoken about SHDs in Dublin and I want to talk about one in Cork at the old Ford distribution site in the marina, which is part of the Cork docklands site spanning 146 ha. This represents a real opportunity for public housing to be built on public land, both social and affordable housing. There is a large number of publicly owned sites at Cork docklands including the ESB lands, the Marina, the Marina park, Kent Station, which is considered part of the docklands development site, the Camp Field, Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Tivoli docks, the old National Oil Reserves Agency premises, as well as the old Ford distribution site. These sites present huge opportunities for public housing on public land.

The case for public housing on public land has been strengthened by Covid-19. In September last year the ESRI stated that the State should increase its investment in social and affordable housing now to offer future supply to deal with the supply shock caused by Covid. Residential property prices were stagnant last year but are expected to increase by 4% this year because of shortages of supply. Approximately 35,000 homes will be needed in the State each year in response to demographic changes but barely more than half of that number were delivered last year, estimated at less than 20,000.

What is up at the Cork docklands? Privatisation is what is up. The LDA will oversee the biggest privatisation programme in the history of the State in the coming years, with 60% of public land to be used for private development at market prices, 30% for so-called affordable housing and only 10% for social housing. The 60% at market rates will be beyond the means of young workers and those on the average wage, while the 30% at so-called affordable rates will be at market price less €50,000, on average, which is also beyond the reach of many of the workers I mentioned.

What is happening at the Ford distribution site? An application for a strategic housing development with more than 1,000 apartments has been lodged. What price will those apartments be? Will they be affordable for young workers and those on the average wage or are young people and workers on average pay going to be priced out of the market yet again? This is a big mistake and the privatisation should be reversed. We should be building public housing on public land, including social housing for people on the lists and genuinely affordable housing for working people at reasonable prices, not market rates or market rates minus €50,000.

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