Taoiseach Simon Harris has mentioned that about 40,000 new houses are expected to be available this year while speaking in a Wednesday morning press conference. This indicates a more robust output in the housing sector, compared to a milder target of 34,500 for the year 2024 set by the Government’s ‘Housing For All’ strategy.
In the upcoming summer, there will be an announcement about the housing targets planned for the coming years, along with a detailed breakdown of different types of houses, including social and affordable, during the fall. “The public, especially those inhabiting cramped rooms need us to uphold and increase our ambition level,” stated Mr Harris.
He reiterated the necessity of a more ambitious approach to meet the rising population’s needs. A figure of 250,000 new homes by 2030 was referenced by Mr Harris, who first committed to deliver it during his initial Fine Gael national conference speech.
In addition, the ministers have granted an extension to the waiver on development levies, along with extending the water connection charge refunds. Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien built upon this by communicating the significant boost in new home construction that has resulted from the development contribution waiver and connection refund scheme from Uisce Éireann. He added that the 11,956 new homes initiated during this year’s first quarter reveal a 63% rise compared to the same quarter in 2023, projecting a record-breaking start.
The temporary and time-bound nature of these waivers and refund schemes have accelerated the activation of planning permissions by developers. They were launched last year and have even influenced permissions that have remained inactive for several years. The water connection rebate will maintain its validity till October beginning, while the waiver on development contributions has been extended until the end of 2024.
Mr O’Brien disclosed that the government is progressing on its social housing plans, revealing that 26,000 social homes are currently in process. The government had set an ambitious target of building 9,100 new social homes by 2023. The accomplishment figures for the year indicate 8,110 new homes have been constructed. In the initial 12 weeks of this year, construction started on 12,000 homes.
Deputy Prime Minister Micheál Martin highlighted the successes of the First Home Scheme since its launch in July 2022. He stated that more than 4,000 individuals and couples have utilised this scheme. The number of approvals in the first quarter increased nearly 40% compared to the same period in the previous year. To support the scheme, the Help to Buy programme aided roughly 2,000 in purchasing their first homes within the first three months of the year.
The Help to Buy Scheme enables purchasers to reclaim up to 10% of the property value or €30,000, whichever is less, from tax paid in the last four years. If a buyer under the First Home Scheme also opts for the Help to Buy scheme, the government takes a 20% stake in the property, or 30% if the Help to Buy scheme is not chosen.
Regarding empty properties and refurbishments, Green Party leader Eamon Ryan reported that 4,300 requests have been made for the vacant property renovation grants. The latest data indicates that 265 grants have been granted to applicants so far.