Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

19. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the status of the Government commitment to provide affordable rental and purchase homes; and his views on the difficulties of Dublin City Council and South Dublin County Council to guarantee affordable rental or purchase units in the joint venture and land initiative projects. [33147/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

On 27 April 2017, details of some 1,500 hectares of land in local authority and housing agency ownership were published on the Rebuilding Ireland Housing Land Map, with the potential to deliver 37,500 homes nationally. All local authorities have been requested to prepare Strategic Development and Management Plans for the earliest possible development of their lands. I have asked that these Plans be prepared by 30 September 2017. 

In parallel, South Dublin County Council (SDCC) and Dublin City Council (DCC) have been progressing four major sites towards development.  In relation to the tenure mix, SDCC opted for a 70:30 private/social mix, while DCC opted for 50% private; 30% social; and 20% affordable. The development of these sites is, in the first instance, a matter for the Councils.

As set out in the Strategy for the Rental Sector, published in December 2016, the commitment to develop an affordable rental model, originally contained in Rebuilding Ireland, is now being progressed by local authorities, in Rent Pressure Zones, through leveraging the value of their land to deliver a more affordable rental offering. In this regard, Dublin City Council has developed a detailed proposal and my Department is currently considering it with the Council.

In parallel, as part of the targeted review of Rebuilding Ireland, my Department is examining the broader issue of housing affordability. Again, the specific proposal by Dublin City Council and the experience of South Dublin County Council will be factored into that review process and my Department will also be consulting more broadly with local authorities generally as part of the review process.