Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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127. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he is satisfied that adequate suitable and serviced building lands remain available in each local authority area to facilitate house building in line with requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25148/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department, in conjunction with local authority planning departments, carried out a national survey of all lands zoned for residential development in statutory local authority development plans and local area plans across Ireland. This exercise, the Residential Land Availability Survey 2014, published in February 2015, determined the location and quantity of lands that may be regarded as being undeveloped and available for residential development purposes at 31 March 2014 in each local authority area.  This survey measured the total amount of lands, whether owned privately or by the local authority, that have been identified for housing development in the various local authority development plans and that are the highest priority for development.

The area of such lands amounts to 17,434 hectares which, given a range of densities appropriate to whether the areas are in small villages or larger towns and cities and as determined by the relevant local authorities, could theoretically enable the construction of over 414,000 dwellings.  I am therefore fully satisfied that adequate lands are available to facilitate residential development in line with the Government's Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness.

The Residential Land Availability Survey 2014 is available on my Department’s website at:

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A further Residential Land Availability Survey will be undertaken in due course.