Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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98. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans for the development of local authority serviced and subsidised sites as a means of dealing with the housing crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12447/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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To date, my Department has issued two Serviced Sites Fund (SSF) calls for proposals to local authorities. Funding of almost €188 million has been approved in principle in support of 38 infrastructure projects in 14 local authority areas, which will assist in the delivery of almost 4,000 more affordable homes.

Details of 35 SSF projects which received approval in principle under the two SSF calls are available on the Rebuilding Ireland's website as follows;

Call 1

Call 2

In addition to these projects, approval in principle has also been given to three further applications for SSF funding – details are provided in the table below:

It is important to note that SSF is provided to support the cost of facilitating infrastructure which will lead to development of new affordable purchase and cost rental homes on local authority lands. The timeframe for the delivery of such projects must accommodate detailed design, the consultation process, planning, procurement and construction. As with all large projects of this type, the nature and scale of the developments will generally evolve as plans are progressed by local authorities.

In making an application for SSF, each local authority must demonstrate that an affordability issue exists in the area in question and a viability to deliver homes with a reduction of at least 10% on open market values.

As you are aware, the Programme for Government has committed in outline to the development of a Town Centre First (TCF) policy. In accordance with this commitment, a TCF inter-Departmental Group (IDG) has now been established to consider the regeneration of our towns and villages. Both my Department and the Department of Community and Rural Development have formulated this joint approach involving both the IDG and a wider Advisory Group of stakeholders, chaired by Minister of State Peter Burke, in advancing an initial scoping of the policy proposals. As part of this, measures and proposals to support more serviced sites closer to urban settlements such as towns and villages will be examined, within the broader context of the issues effecting such places as already outlined. It is anticipated that any recommendations forthcoming from the TCF approach will be developed over the coming months.

Consideration will also need to be given to the expansion of towns and villages in a sustainable manner. Such development will be incremental, small scale, walkable (including to and from the town/village centre) and will occur on sites that have access adequate water supply and provision for disposal of domestic effluent. Such extensions should also be guided by responsive design principles so that they appear as a natural extensions to the town/village with a close visual relationship to the prevailing vernacular. My Department is addressing this in the context the development of proposed ‘sustainable settlement guidance’.