Written answers

Thursday, 19 October 2017

Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government

Housing Provision

Photo of Fergus O'DowdFergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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281. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the proposed housing developments in the Drogheda and environs area that his Department is in active discussions on; the number of social houses the developments hope to deliver; the details of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44527/17]

Photo of Eoghan MurphyEoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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Rebuilding Ireland has put in place the funding resources to accelerate the delivery of social housing for all local authorities. Critically, €5.35 billion in exchequer investment has been secured to support its implementation and to deliver 47,000 social housing units through build, refurbishment, acquisitions and leasing, over the period to 2021. This level of national funding to implement Rebuilding Ireland's targets means that funding is available to all local authorities to advance their housing delivery. Within the overall 21,000 social housing solutions targeted for delivery this year, some 4,500 of these will be delivered through new builds/acquisitions/refurbishments and a significant proportion of these will involve new construction.

Louth County Council has an ambitious pipeline of construction projects in development to meet the social housing needs of Drogheda and the rest of the county. Details of these projects are available at the following link: . 

These projects are funded under a range of different initiatives such as local authority construction, turnkey developments, rapid delivery, regeneration programmes and construction and turnkey developments by Approved Housing Bodies.  The precise timing for the advancement of each of these projects, including completion dates and tenanting of these projects is a matter in the first place for Louth County Council

Further project approvals are being added to the construction programme as they are developed by Louth County Council and Approved Housing Bodies, updated details of which will be published on a regular basis. I am keen that all local authorities advance their social housing projects as speedily as possible and I have assured them that funding is in place to support their activity in this regard.

In addition, there are also a range of other social housing delivery methods that are being utilised alongside traditional construction, including harnessing vacant properties, purchasing suitable units from the market, and securing new properties under long-term lease agreements, the Rental Accommodation Scheme and the Housing Assistance Payment, all of which will be used to meet the 21,000 social housing solutions targeted for delivery this year.

Details on the number of social housing properties constructed, purchased and leased by local authorities and approved housing bodies, for letting to those on their social housing waiting lists, are published on my Department’s website at the following link: .

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