Results 2,781-2,800 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews

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)

Steven Matthews: To clarify, the cost of financing is because the LDA is going to fund it, so it will sometimes have to borrow from the commercial market.

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)

Steven Matthews: It is a really important consideration. The affordability factor can be considered in terms of how much one is paying in one's mortgage or rent. If that house is miles away and one is incurring €100 a week in petrol or diesel costs, or the minute one turns on the heating, one is heating the back garden or the attic, such aspects of affordability have to be counted. Did 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)

Steven Matthews: The strategy plan for 2024 to 2028 was mentioned. Going beyond 2028 - in the opening statement it was said that some of these projects can take four to five years - the LDA must be looking at projects now that it knows are four to five years out. How do they fit in to the strategy? When is the next strategy crafted, or does that depend on the attitude of future governments to the LDA and...

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)

Steven Matthews: I thank Mr. Coleman. Will move on to Senator Moynihan.

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)

Steven Matthews: I am going to take the next slot. I think Mr. Coleman may have answered the question for me but I will ask it again to be sure. The cost of construction has increased hugely in terms of the cost of materials and the capacity and resources that are in the industry. Contractors are attracted to the most lucrative builds. We have covered interest rates, the supply chain, and all the rest of...

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)

Steven Matthews: The cost of the units increase as the input factors increase. The LDA tries to set the rent at 35% so that it is an affordable rent, but if unit costs keep going up and incomes are not going up at the same rate, does the LDA have to sink in more equity in order to achieve the 35%?

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)

Steven Matthews: The target numbers that the LDA could deliver would be reduced because they would chew up more of the equity and the LDA would have to go back to the Government and say it needs a lot more money. I support that concept of subventing the affordability gap. The Croí Cónaithe scheme in cities has an element of that as well. These units will not be built because there will not be a...

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)

Steven Matthews: Mr. Coleman covered some of the issues I was going to ask about modular housing. I think he said a player the size of the LDA is comparable to the largest housing construction companies that are in the Irish market at the moment. One of the things we were trying to address in a report we did on low-carbon construction was to set a target for the amount of housing that would be constructed...

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)

Steven Matthews: I thank Mr. Coleman. I agree in the context of something of that size, with such a high target of delivery. As regards the acquisition of State lands, if the LDA goes into negotiation with a State agency, Department or other body to acquire a site, there is a requirement for the site to be offered to the LDA first. Does the payment for the site go to that agency or organisation or,...

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)

Steven Matthews: As regards the cost-rental sites, who will manage the rent collection once they are up and running and populated? There would normally be a management company made up of residents that would deal with day-to-day issues, but who will manage the rent and rent collection?

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)

Steven Matthews: I thank the witnesses.

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)

Steven Matthews: Deputy Ó Broin, I will have to move on.

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)

Steven Matthews: Three people want to contribute and we only have ten minutes left.

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)

Steven Matthews: I will go to Senator Fitzpatrick, Deputy Gould and Deputy McAuliffe. We only have ten minutes so I ask them all to be direct.

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)

Steven Matthews: Okay. I am glad Mr. Coleman mentioned the quality and the location. I remember when we were considering the LDA Bill and looking at some of the principles of the LDA, including the delivery of cost-rental and affordable housing etc., something with that bit of State weight behind it that could achieve those economies of scale. One of the other parts of the principles was the piece about...

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)

Steven Matthews: I thank the LDA representatives for their time. It has been helpful to us. So that we are clear on them, I wish to go over a couple of the requests that have been made. There was a request from Deputy Ó Broin for confirmation that there had been no rent increases. I believe the LDA committed to reverting to us on this matter. A commitment was given to revert to Senator Cummins...

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)

Steven Matthews: Okay. The witnesses were also asked for an approximate five-year plan for the delivery of social and cost-rental homes and, as best they can, for a breakdown of the figures for direct delivery and Project Tosaigh. We would appreciate that update.

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)

Steven Matthews: I mentioned the five-year plan on social and cost-rental homes in Dublin.

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)

Steven Matthews: Dublin city.

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)

Steven Matthews: By constituency, if possible.