Results 3,981-4,000 of 15,009 for speaker:Eoin Ó Broin

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Business of Joint Committee (23 Jan 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: I agree with others that the decision of all three organisations to refuse to attend is deeply disappointing. In fact, it is worse than that because it is preventing us from doing our jobs. The Peter McVerry Trust provides exceptionally important services. It has a significant number of staff who make an enormous difference to people's live on a night-by-night basis and almost 1,000 people...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Affordable Homes, Public Lands, Strategic Planning and Projects: Land Development Agency (23 Jan 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: I thank Mr. Coleman for the opening statement. I will be frank. I appreciate it is his job to give the best possible presentation as to what the LDA is doing but I have to say it is doing enormous damage to the very idea of cost rental at its very inception stage. The reason I say that is because when I look at the rent the LDA is charging on the most recent round of offerings - let us...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Affordable Homes, Public Lands, Strategic Planning and Projects: Land Development Agency (23 Jan 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Has any tenant in an LDA property received a rent review notice?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Affordable Homes, Public Lands, Strategic Planning and Projects: Land Development Agency (23 Jan 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Okay. I ask Mr. Coleman to give a commitment to check with the LDA's property management agent and confirm in writing to the committee at his convenience that this is the case.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Affordable Homes, Public Lands, Strategic Planning and Projects: Land Development Agency (23 Jan 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Perfect. I thank Mr. Coleman.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Affordable Homes, Public Lands, Strategic Planning and Projects: Land Development Agency (23 Jan 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Can Mr. Coleman tell the committee what the average cost per unit was?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Affordable Homes, Public Lands, Strategic Planning and Projects: Land Development Agency (23 Jan 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: But the LDA paid more than it did in Archers Wood for duplexes and apartments.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Affordable Homes, Public Lands, Strategic Planning and Projects: Land Development Agency (23 Jan 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Is it much less than €500,000? I am not trying to be awkward; the reason I am asking is because rents at this location, which is in a similar suburban location, albeit Archers Wood is in Delgany, are considerably higher. My understanding of the price range for Archers Wood was that it was approximately €440,000. Therefore, to move up to these levels of rents for the larger...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Affordable Homes, Public Lands, Strategic Planning and Projects: Land Development Agency (23 Jan 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Sure, but the entry-level rents are ultimately determined by the price of the property. The LDA is increasingly using turnkey developments and incidentally, these are developments that were not stalled or delayed; they were well advanced before the LDA purchased them. If the LDA is buying expensive units in the suburbs, the entry-level rents are going to be very high under this scheme.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Affordable Homes, Public Lands, Strategic Planning and Projects: Land Development Agency (23 Jan 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: The LDA pays more than the AHBs do, Mr. Coleman.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Affordable Homes, Public Lands, Strategic Planning and Projects: Land Development Agency (23 Jan 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Is Mr. Coleman stating unequivocally to the committee that on comparable properties in places like Archers Wood and Citywest, the LDA is absolutely and under no circumstances paying more than an AHB?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Affordable Homes, Public Lands, Strategic Planning and Projects: Land Development Agency (23 Jan 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Okay, so the LDA does not know if it is paying more or less than them.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Affordable Homes, Public Lands, Strategic Planning and Projects: Land Development Agency (23 Jan 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: This is quite important because we have raised this concern regularly. If I am a AHB and I want to do a turnkey, for example in Dublin city, I must clear that through a Dublin City Council housing manager and if one AHB is in negotiations, nobody else can enter negotiations. My understanding is that the LDA is paying more than AHBs in certain locations. I am not criticising the LDA for it....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Affordable Homes, Public Lands, Strategic Planning and Projects: Land Development Agency (23 Jan 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: There is a real concern. I refer to incomes of €100,000 to be eligible for cost rental or €70,000 gross to be eligible for a one-bedroom unit. Is that what Mr. Coleman thought was going to be the entry-level income when he took this job?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Affordable Homes, Public Lands, Strategic Planning and Projects: Land Development Agency (23 Jan 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: It is just that the LDA does not know. It is his understanding, from talking to the Department, but he does not know.