Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

838. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will address the housing crisis and provide affordable and social housing by directing local authorities in Kerry and across the country to zone lands and grant planning permission for good quality modular homes (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30236/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

In line with the Programme for Government, the Government is fully committed to delivering social and affordable housing at scale, and to continue accelerating housing supply across all tenures. The Government’s ambition is to build on the progress made to date under Housing for All, and deliver over 300,000 homes in the period from 2025 to 2030 equating to an annual average of over 50,000 homes per year, building up to 60,000 in 2030.

Work on translating these revised national housing targets into tenure specific targets relevant to each local authority area, including Kerry, is ongoing and at an advanced stage. This work is expected to be completed in the coming months and will be published after the work under the revised national planning framework is complete.

The zoning of land for particular purposes, including residential development, is a reserved function of the elected members of each planning authority as part of their statutory development plan function under sections 9 to 13 of the Planning and Development Act, 2000 (as amended).The Development Plans Guidelines for Planning Authorities (2022), as issued under section 28 of the Act, provide further guidance to planning authorities in relation to matters concerning the zoning of land.

The zoning of land for housing relates to the principle of such development and does not restrict or specify the nature or type of construction that should be used to develop the lands for these purposes.

My Department continues to liaise with local authorities and other key stakeholders on a range of different planning matters including, where appropriate, the promotion of new housing typologies that reflect the changing demographics of our population and to provide further choice for prospective homeowners.

Beyond the Planning system, the term Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) is used to describe a range of manufacturing and innovative construction alternatives to traditional construction, including modular construction. MMC has the potential to boost productivity, increase efficiency and improve sustainability in the construction sector.

The Roadmap for increased adoption of MMC in Public Housing delivery sets out recommendations to progress the most advanced and efficient construction methods in the delivery of housing and can be accessed at the following link on my Department’s website -

In December 2022, funding of €94m was provided to local authorities to address legacy land debts. The provision of this funding was linked to the immediate development of a housing proposal and a commitment to use MMC. A total of 26 sites received funding as part of an accelerated delivery programme, and with some additional sites since added, my Department is thus overseeing a project to progress delivery of MMC projects on 36 sites which will deliver more than 1,500 new social homes across 13 local authorities.

Finally, it may be helpful to note that the Ready to Build Scheme, funded by the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund, enables local authorities to identify suitable sites in their ownership or to purchase sites in towns and villages and make them available for sale for the purpose of building a principal private residence. Further information with regard to the scheme is available on my Department's website at the following link: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/33209-ready-to-build-scheme-serviced-sites-for-new-homes/ or by contacting Vacant Homes officer in the relevant local authority.

I understand that Kerry County Council is currently identifying sites that may qualify under the Croí Cónaithe Ready to Build Scheme: Serviced Sites for New Homes with a view to making them available for purchase during 2025.