James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Under Delivering Homes, Building Communities, the Government is targeting the delivery of 300,000 new homes by 2030, including 72,000 social homes. The plan seeks to significantly scale-up delivery of new-build social homes to an average of 12,000 homes per year and includes key measures to support local authorities to achieve this and, thereby, reduce their waiting lists. These measures include:

• The new single approval process for all new build social housing projects up to a value of €200m;
• Mandating the use of standard house layouts and specifications for Social Housing;
• Facilitating the use of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) through a standardised design approach;
• Introducing a revamped renewal programme focused on tackling dereliction and vacancy in social housing;
• Expanding the role and remit of the Land Development Agency (LDA);
• Expanding and streamlining the operation of the Land Acquisition Fund;
• Financially incentivising local authorities to exceed annual ‘own build’ social housing targets;
• Funding ring-fenced social and affordable 'new-build' housing delivery teams in each local authority.
• In addition, the Housing Activation Office (HAO) will identify and seek to address barriers to the delivery of public infrastructure projects required to enable housing development.

Overall, Wicklow County Council’s social housing build programme is already performing well and my Department will continue to work with the Council to deliver social homes for those who need them.

The Council has exceeded its 2022-2025 target (125%) and the latest Social Housing Construction Status Report (CSR) (Q3 2025) shows that Wicklow County Council has a strong pipeline in place with 479 homes at various stages of design and procurement including 187 homes onsite at the end of Q3 2025. The CSR is available for analysis on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/cb885-social-housing-construction-projects-status-reports/ and also at . Data for the Q4 2025 CSR is currently being compiled.

Further details on social housing delivery by Wicklow County Council can be found on the statistics page of my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/

Under the new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, each local authority will prepare a Housing Delivery Action Plan (HDAP) setting out their planned delivery of social and affordable housing to 2030 in line with targets which will be set by my Department in order to ensure the 72,000 social homes will be delivered by 2030. In preparing their HDAP, each local authority will reflect local need to ensure the right mix of homes to respond to local need and priorities.

It should be noted that existing HDAPs run to the end of 2026 and it is expected that new HDAPs, which will run to 2030, will be in place by the end of Q3 2026. Each local authority's current HDAP is published on the LA's website. Wicklow County Council's Housing Delivery Action Plan 2022-2026 is published at the following link www.wicklow.ie/Living/Services/Housing/Housing-Delivery-Action-Plan-2022-2026