Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Housing for All (published in September 2021) provides a new housing plan for Ireland to 2030 with the overall objective that every citizen in the State should have access to good quality homes through a steady supply of housing in the right locations, with economic, social and environmental sustainability built into the system.

The Croí Cónaithe (Cities) Scheme, as set out in Pathway 3 of Housing for All, supports the building of apartments for sale to owner-occupiers. The Scheme aims to bridge the current “Viability Gap” between the cost of building apartments and the market sale price (where the cost of building is greater). The scheme is targeted principally at activating planning permissions already in place for such homes.

The Scheme launched on 10 May 2022 with an Expressions of Interest process. It will be managed and administered by the Housing Agency on behalf of my Department. The closing date for receipt of proposals was 21 June 2022. Until such time as the state aid application has been approved by EU DG COMP and the Croí Cónaithe (Cities) Development and Designation Agreements are in place, expenditure on the scheme is generally related to operational costs such as professional fees and legal advice.

With anticipated construction timelines of around eighteen months, Croí Cónaithe (Cities) supported apartment developments will likely be brought to market from 2024. Therefore, financial supports from the fund, which only arise on sale of apartments to eligible purchasers, are not expected to be incurred until 2024, with the funding expected to be distributed across 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. The total budget for the Croí Cónaithe Cities Scheme is €450 million.