Results 161-180 of 1,817 for speaker:John 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)

John Cummins: I hear the points made by Mr. Coleman about phase 2 of Project Tosaigh and that it is going to be a best bid process. He stated that the LDA was going to engage in staged payments as part of that. Is that correct?

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)

John Cummins: If the LDA is purchasing those homes from the developer, are these homes not then classified as second homes when it comes to a purchaser using the help-to-buy scheme because we know that scheme is only applicable to new build first purchase homes? Has the LDA managed to circle that? Is it an issue with regard to what Mr. Coleman said about phase 2 of Project Tosaigh?

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)

John Cummins: That is important.

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)

John Cummins: I ask Mr. Coleman to come back to me about that because I do not see how that is possible. Perhaps there is something in the background that I am not aware of that enables that to happen. The help-to-buy scheme is a critical piece. I suspect that everyone who has purchased the LDA's affordable purchase homes thus far has used the help-to-buy scheme. Would that be a fair observation?

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)

John Cummins: The next topic will not be news to Mr. Coleman because I have said it to him in the past. I genuinely believe that the litmus test for his organisation will be its ability to intervene in regional cities. I am thinking in particular of Waterford and the North Quays as one of those critical brownfield waterfront city centre sites that without State investment will remain empty forever more....

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)

John Cummins: Could Mr. Coleman remind me about the LDA staff complement and where the agency is going in that regard? He already outlined the position but, unfortunately, I missed what he said.

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)

John Cummins: In future ones-----

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)

John Cummins: So the employees being hired are mainly in monitoring.

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)

John Cummins: Is the LDA bringing design in-house, as opposed to contracted?

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)

John Cummins: Perhaps Mr. Coleman sees where I was going. I hear all of that. I do not want the criticism to be able to be levelled at the LDA that it has become top-heavy and there are people there doing jobs on salaries that are probably unnecessary. That is what I do not want to see. I am putting that out there as a helpful comment. I saw a recent one. What is a "resident experience executive"?

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)

John Cummins: On funding, Mr. Coleman mentioned in response to Deputy O'Callaghan the affordable purchase, which was the premise of my first contribution. I would like to see the LDA doing more with it. It would be helpful to its bottom line and its recycling of finance. I listened carefully to what was said. Mr. Coleman said the rent would be a drip-feed. It is significant in terms of numbers, does...

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)

John Cummins: Mr. Coleman addressed the Cathaoirleach's question on minimal land cost. Many of the sites with which the LDA is dealing have minimal to no land cost. I would like the witnesses to comment on an assertion that was put out in the public domain prior to Christmas. It is political but it also is not political. The assertion is that the LDA can deliver homes for €300,000 because the...

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)

John Cummins: I ask Mr. Coleman to address the delivery cost of the houses. They are the properties that will be sold.

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)

John Cummins: It is considerably above €300,000.

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)

John Cummins: Without the equity.

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)

John Cummins: I am asking about the actual delivery cost of the unit.

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)

John Cummins: Yes. The Government introduced a scheme to waive water and levy fees, as Mr. Coleman is aware. They are applicable at the moment. Shanganagh had started before that scheme was brought in. If those fees or charges were removed, would the cost have been at €300,000 without any equity?

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)

John Cummins: Water and development charges are approximately €15,000 per unit.

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)

John Cummins: That would be considerably more than €300,000. It is in the range of €470,000.

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)

John Cummins: What I am trying to get to is whether it is possible to deliver homes in Dublin for €300,000 if one removes the land costs, as has already been done in this case, and water and development levies, which only equate to €15,000.