Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

234. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will consider introducing emergency legislation to permit local authorities to compulsory purchase zoned land in the four Dublin, Cork and Limerick and other local authority areas with great housing shortages; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39517/16]

Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

235. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will consider introducing emergency legislation to permit local authorities to compulsory purchase land with planning permissions in the four Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and other urban regions to build these permissions to eliminate homelessness and up to 10 years plus waiting times on housing lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39518/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 234 and 235 together.

I have no powers in relation to the initiation of Compulsory Purchase Orders, this being the responsibility of relevant local authorities.

The issues raised in the Questions relate, essentially, to the adequacy of land supply to address the current housing supply shortage. In broad terms, the Government does not believe that acquisition, compulsory or otherwise, of significant levels of additional land for public housing building programmes is required at this time and considers that local authorities have sufficient lands upon which to deliver the commitments under Rebuilding Ireland, including the delivery of 47,000 additional social housing units between now and 2021 through a number of means as part of an overall Exchequer commitment of €5.35 billion.

In addition, the active pursuit of progressing housing developments on State-owned lands, including local authority lands, is a major part of the new approach to housing provision under Rebuilding Ireland – Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness. This involves identifying and mapping sites in local authority and public ownership with appropriate lands to be master-planned to deliver increased mixed-tenure housing, including social and more affordable housing. Overall, between the Land Aggregation Scheme sites and Local Authority lands approximately 700 sites in total have been identified, which are referenced on page 50 of Rebuilding Ireland, in the context of the potential for mixed-tenure development on State-owned and other lands. These sites are being mapped in detail and in accordance with the timelines outlined in Rebuilding Irelandand the Housing Agency is preparing a Strategic Management Plan for all 73 Land Aggregation Scheme sites which will be completed in Quarter 1 2017. 

My Department has already written to all key Departments and State Agencies and to relevant local authorities to gather information and assess further prospective sites in State ownership to be mapped on an effective and easy-to-use database of publically owned lands, suitable for housing, collated in one location. This work will provide a further indication of the extent of the sites available that may be suitable for housing, in particular in areas of highest need.

During this data gathering phase, a number of early actions have already been undertaken by local authorities and the Housing Agency to progress housing development on sites in public ownership, particularly in areas of high housing demand. One such proposal was announced by South Dublin County Council at the recent launch event for Pillar 3 of Rebuilding Irelandin relation to a local authority owned site with the potential to yield almost 1,000 new homes in Kilcarberry, Clondalkin. I expect further proposals to be brought forward by other local authorities in the coming months.