Written answers

Tuesday, 26 April 2022

Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government

Housing Provision

Photo of Thomas PringleThomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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624. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if consideration can be made for areas such as Ballymun, Dublin with a high percentage of social housing and in which there is a need to provide more home ownership if the affordable housing fund can be increased beyond €100,000 given that there is a real danger with upcoming affordable housing schemes in the area that the price will be outside that which persons can actually afford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19598/22]

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Housing for All Strategy delivers on the Programme for Government commitment to step up housing supply and put affordability at the heart of the housing system, with an ambitious target of 300,000 homes over the next decade for social, affordable and cost rental, private rental and private ownership housing. 54,000 affordable home interventions will be delivered between now and 2030 to be facilitated by local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies, the Land Development Agency and through a strategic partnership between the State and retail banks.

Delivery of affordable housing, in accordance with the schemes set out in the Affordable Housing Act, 2021 and the funding being made available, will be underpinned by local authorities' Housing Delivery Action Plans. Local authorities including Dublin City Council submitted initial affordable plans to me in December 2021. Preparation of these Plans allowed each local authority to assess the level of demand with affordability constraint in their area based on a Housing Need and Demand Assessment and plan provision accordingly.

The Plan is being revised and updated by Dublin City Council in the light of ongoing engagement and clarifications, and my Department expects that it will be ready for publication before the Summer. The Plan will provide a comprehensive overview of projected delivery of affordable housing across Dublin City, including in Ballymun.

My Department understands that Dublin City Council anticipate delivery of affordable housing on a number of sites in the Ballymun area. Affordable purchase schemes planned for Balbutcher and Sillogue are in early planning stages.

The current maximum funding amount available to Local Authorities under the Affordable Housing Fund is €100,000 per unit, for schemes which have a net density of over 50 dwellings per hectare in cities designated under the National Planning Framework. This is a 100% increase on the maximum funding amount under the previous local authority affordable housing funding scheme (the Serviced Sites Fund) which was €50,000 per unit. This significant increase in funding was approved by Government in 2021.

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