John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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153. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will account for the pausing of construction on a social housing project at an area (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22373/22]

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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154. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of cost-rental homes or affordable homes that are expected to be delivered in south Dublin County in 2022. [22374/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Affordable Housing Act 2021 established a basis for four new affordable housing measures. These measures deliver on the Programme for Government commitment to put affordability at the heart of the housing system and prioritise the increased supply of affordable homes through (1) delivering affordable purchase homes on Local Authority lands, (2) the introduction of a new form of tenure in Cost Rental, (3) a First Home shared equity scheme and (4) expanding Part V planning requirements to increase the 10% contribution requirement to 20% and to apply it to Cost Rental as well as social and affordable housing. 

This Act, supported by the unprecedented levels of funding committed to in the Housing for All strategy, averaging over €4 billion annually, will underpin the delivery of affordable housing targets. At a national level, 54,000 affordable homes will be delivered between now and 2030 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 Act and the funding being made available, will be underpinned by local authorities' Housing Delivery Action Plans. Local authorities, including South Dublin County Council, submitted their Plans to me in December 2021. Preparation of the Plans allowed each local authority to assess the level of demand with affordability constraint in their area based on the Housing Need and Demand Assessment and plan provision accordingly. The Plans are being revised and updated by local authorities in the light of ongoing engagement and clarifications, and I expect that they will be ready for publication by local authorities by the by the end of Q2. They will provide a comprehensive overview of projected delivery of affordable housing in South Dublin, and nationally. 

My Department understands that South Dublin County Council has notified successful applicants in relation to 16 Affordable Purchase homes under Advance Purchase arrangements at Kilcarbery Grange, Clondalkin.  Three Affordable Purchase schemes are currently in planning stages; Rathcoole, Killinarden and Clonburris, with construction expected to commence later this year. 

44 CREL-funded Cost Rental tenancies are expected at Parklands, Citywest in the near future, where tenants have already been selected by the Approved Housing Body Tuath. These units are expected to be delivered in Q2. The Cost Rental units are part of a mixed tenure development, which will comprise of 1,010 homes on completion. The Cost Rental units will consist of two-bedroom apartments and two-bedroom duplexes, with rents set at €1,264 and €1,297 respectively. 

Tenants have also been selected by Tuath for the 74 Cost Rental homes due to be completed at Kilcarbery Grange in Q2 2022. Cost Rents will be set at €1,025 for the one-bedroom apartments and €1,229 for the two-bedroom apartments. 

As affordable housing programmes are rolled out, additional affordable housing delivery will be facilitated through the expanded 20% Part V requirement, the introduction of the 'First Home' shared equity scheme, and the LDA’s ‘Project Tosaigh’. 

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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155. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when construction is expected to commence on lands at Killinarden for social, private and affordable homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22376/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The planned development on the lands at Killinarden will deliver a total of 620 units in a mixed tenure scheme, comprising 372 affordable, 123 private and 125 social housing units. 

Following a competitive tender process, The Arden Team DAC, a consortium made up of Sisk Living, O' Cualann Cohousing Alliance and Kelland Homes, was selected as the preferred economic operator. 

The Consortium is due to apply for the necessary planning permission by the end of June 2022. Subject to planning approval, it is anticipated that works will commence on site in Q1 2023, with the first homes being delivered in 2024.

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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156. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of void properties that were brought back into use by the four Dublin local authorities in 2020, 2021 and to date in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22377/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, the implementation of a planned maintenance programme and carrying out of responsive repairs, are matters for each individual local authority under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966.

Since 2014, Exchequer funding has been provided through my Department's Voids Programme to support local authorities in preparing vacant units for re-letting. This funding was initially introduced to tackle long term vacant units and is now increasingly targeted at ensuring minimal turnaround and re-let times for local authority vacant stock.

An annualised breakdown of the funding provided and the number of properties remediated under the Voids programme for the years 2014-2021 is available on my Department's website at the following link:

www.gov.ie/en/collection/0906a-other-local-authority-housing-scheme-statistics/#voids-programme

Over the period 2020-2021, a total of 1,771 properties have been brought back into active use by the four Dublin local authorities under the Voids Programme. This figure does not include those properties returned to active use by the local authority using funding from their own resources.

My Department will continue to support local authorities in their work in this area. Funding allocations under the Programme will be announced shortly.

Given the very significant investment into the Voids Programme over recent years, particularly in 2020 and in 2021, local authorities should now be in a strong position to begin the transition to a strategic and informed planned maintenance approach to stock management and maintenance.

To that end, my Department and local authorities are working to transition from a largely response and voids based approach to housing stock management and maintenance, to a planned maintenance approach as referenced in Housing for All, policy objective 20.6. This will require the completion of stock condition surveys by all local authorities and the subsequent development of strategic and informed work programmes in response. My Department will support these work programmes by ensuring that the funding available under the various stock improvement programmes is aligned with this approach.