Written answers

Tuesday, 24 March 2015

Department of Environment, Community and Local Government

Unfinished Housing Developments

Photo of Brian WalshBrian Walsh (Galway West, Independent)
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861. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if the purchase of ghost estates by the Government is a feasible option in delivering social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11101/15]

Photo of Alan KellyAlan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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Social housing is a key priority for the Government, evidenced by the additional €2.2 billion in funding announced for social housing in Budget 2015 and the publication of the Social Housing Strategy 2020in November 2014. The Strategy builds on the provisions contained in Budget 2015 and sets out clear, measurable actions and targets to increase the supply of social housing, reform delivery arrangements and meet the housing needs of all households on the housing list.

The total targeted provision of over 110,000 social housing units, through the delivery of 35,000 new social housing units and meeting the housing needs of some 75,000 households through the Housing Assistance Payment and Rental Accommodation Scheme, will address the needs of the 90,000 households on the housing waiting list in full, with flexibility to meet potential future demand. In committing to provide these 35,000 new social housing units, at a projected cost of €3.8 billion, the strategy marks a fresh start for social housing in Ireland.

The funding that is provided by my Department to local authorities for social housing supports the development of new social housing units and also the purchase of units that may be privately owned. A similar approach applies to funding sanctioned by local authorities to approved housing bodies, which can be for either new building or the acquisition of existing housing units. There are some instances where funding for social housing developments is linked to job stimulus programmes and, in those cases, it is a requirement that funding is used for new housing developments. In general, it is a matter for each local authority, as the housing authority for its area, to identify the social housing need and to respond as required. Where acquisitions are undertaken for social housing purposes, I expect local authorities to do so in a way that is sensitive to issues such as tenure mix and impact on the local housing market.

The Government is committed to resolving the legacy of unfinished housing developments. Since 2010, the number of unfinished housing developments has decreased by approximately two-thirds, from nearly 3,000 in 2010 to 992 in 2014. It is expected that with the aid of the €10m Special Resolution Fund (SRF) announced in Budget 2014, a further 74 developments should be resolved in the months ahead. Completing these developments brings direct benefits to the community, as well as to the local property market by making new properties available for purchase, and can also mean that a relevant obligation to deliver social housing units under Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2002 can be discharged. Such obligations apply to planning permissions in respect of proposed developments consisting of the provision of 5 or more houses or for housing on land of an area greater than 0.1 hectare.

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