Written answers

Thursday, 12 March 2015

Department of Environment, Community and Local Government

Social and Affordable Housing Provision

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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260. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his plans on issuing an instruction to Dublin City Council that 20% of all housing units under the docklands strategic development zone are to be designated as social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10886/15]

Photo of Paudie CoffeyPaudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Provision of housing within Dublin’s docklands is a key part of its continuing development with the population of the area expected to increase by almost 6,000 in the coming years. Specific objectives have been included under Chapter 4 of the North Lotts and Grand Canal Dock Strategic Development Zone Planning Scheme to ensure that future housing provision meets the needs of the area, and is in line with the overall Dublin City Council Housing Strategy.

I am committed to the principle of a social housing gain from private development and I believe that the Part V mechanism under the Planning and Development Acts has the potential to be a significant contributor to achieving the targets set out in the Government’s Social Housing Strategy 2020 – Support, Supply and Reformin the context of a recovering housing market.

Under the existing Part V provisions of the Planning and Development Acts, developers are required to ensure that up to 20% of land zoned for residential, and other uses, shall be reserved for social or affordable housing. However, with the substantial fall off in private construction, very little social housing is currently being provided under Part V.

Informed by a recent review of the Part V provisions, which included a public consultation process, my Department has incorporated the required legislative changes into the General Scheme of the Planning and Development (No 1) Bill which was published in November 2014 and is available on my Department’s website at:

The General Scheme of the Bill was the subject of pre-legislative scrutiny by the Joint Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht. The Bill is currently being drafted in consultation with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel with a view to publication in the coming weeks and enactment before the summer recess.

The General Scheme provides that, in future, the focus of Part V will be on the delivery of social housing, with a requirement for up to 10% social housing in developments in excess of 9 units.  In the operation of these revised Part V arrangements, the priority will be to secure social housing units on-site; the making of cash payments in lieu of social housing is to be discontinued.

Under the revised Part V provisions, which will apply to permissions granted under SDZ planning schemes , it i s estimated that in the region of 4,000 additional social housing units will be delivered by 2020. My Department has written to local authorities recently highlighting the importance of ensuring that Part V agreements are discharged in ways that maximise the potential for the immediate delivery of social housing units.

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