Press release
Housing for All Update
From Department of the Taoiseach; Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of the Taoiseach; Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Published on
Last updated on
- Record 32,121 new homes started construction in first five months of 2024.
- First Home Scheme making affordable home ownership a reality for thousands of our citizens – Over 4,850 approvals in first two years of the Scheme.
- Proposed target of 8-week turn-around time in conveyancing and probate.
- Government approves establishment of new independent Building Standards Regulator to ensure no repeat of past mistakes.
- New Local Authority Renovation and Purchase Loan to open for applications July 22nd.
The Government has today published the latest quarterly update under Housing for All, showing continued strong momentum in the delivery of new homes and significant progress on fundamental reforms so that we continue on this upward trajectory.
There has been record momentum in housing so far this year, with almost 52,000 new homes started in the year to the end of May, an increase of over 85% on the previous 12 months. A robust pipeline is in place with almost 38,000 homes approved for planning permission in the 12 months to the end of March 2024. Over 25,000 new social homes are either on site or at design and tender stage.
Government is confident that this trend of exceeding annual Housing for All targets will continue and this year’s target will also be exceeded.
Housing for All is making home ownership a reality for thousands of our citizens across the country. Over 4,850 buyers have been approved under the First Home Scheme since its launch two years ago, with over 1,900 homes already bought using the scheme. 4,200 claims were made under the Help-to-Buy Scheme, which helps first time buyers with their deposit, in the first half of this year, an increase of almost 30% on the same period in 2023.
Housing for All is not only providing thousands of homes to people today, but also fundamentally reforming the housing sector so future delivery is assured. Quarter 2 saw progress across far-reaching reform of the planning system and the promotion of innovation in the construction sector.
The quarter saw the conclusion of an important review of the conveyancing and probate processes. A number of recommendations to improve both processes, including a national target of 8 weeks for the completion so that much-needed homes are not lying empty for long periods of time will now be implemented.
Housing for All includes important reforms to drive high standards and quality in construction, ensuring that the mistakes of the past are not repeated. In an important step, Government today agreed to the establishment of an independent Building Standards Regulator to strengthen the oversight role of the State, further reduce the risk of repeating the building failures of the past and increase public confidence in construction-related activity.
The Local Authority Purchase and Renovation Loan which was approved by Government at the beginning of June will be open for applications from July 22nd nationwide. The loan, which is an expansion of the Local Authority Home Loan, will support both the purchase and renovation of homes which are eligible under the existing Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant. This reinforces the Government’s commitment to bring homes back into use, a key objective of Housing for All, while also providing another funding pathway for individuals to realise their goal of homeownership.
The transformation to date under Housing for All now means we can scale up our ambition and target even higher levels of delivery over the coming years. In the Autumn, Government will publish an updated Housing for All Action Plan setting out how we plan to continue our success.
Further progress highlighted in the Housing for All Q2 2024 progress report, published today, includes:
• Continued focus on turning vacant and derelict properties back into homes, with almost 8,200 applications and over 5,000 approvals under the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, new Local Authority Purchase and Renovation Loan (LAPR), and 1,224 vacant and derelict properties approved under Call 3 of the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (with potential for 5,406 homes).
• 2,320 apprentice registrations for the 10 key construction trades in the first half of this year, an increase of 8% on the same period last year.
• Progress on the delivery of homes on State Lands, including almost 300 new homes at Shanganagh with the first phase to be delivered later this year, construction underway at St. Kevin’s in Cork and the former Devoy Barracks in Naas, and detailed design ongoing on several other sites across the country.
• Continued State support through Project Tosaigh, with 392 new apartments now under construction at The Crossings, Adamstown.
• Progress on the Planning and Development Bill which has now completed Second Stage in Seanad Éireann.
• A Housing Funding Seminar on 3 July to identify next steps in attracting the required levels of private development finance to deliver 50,000 new homes per year.
• Progress on the implementation of the Accelerated Delivery Programme to deliver over 1,500 new social homes using Modern Methods of Construction.
• Publication of the Report of the Housing Commission which is now being reviewed by the Housing Agency in terms of costings, timelines and prioritisation.
• Completion of a review of the private rental sector to support a well-functioning private rental market.
• Completion of a Development Cost study to help inform policies that will influence the cost of construction.
• A review of the structure of the Irish residential construction sector, with recommendations to improve delivery capacity.
• €100m investment to deliver more than 1,000 new student accommodation beds and legislation to ensure student-specific leases for the traditional academic year of September to May.
• 71 new local authority posts to help ramp up the delivery of affordable housing throughout the country.
Commenting on today’s announcement, Taoiseach Simon Harris said:
“Housing is one of the greatest societal challenges we face. This report gives us significant signs of progress.
"The number of homes commenced in the first five months this year is 147% higher than this time last year.
"The number of homes bought using the First Home scheme has increased by 100% since this time last year.
"There is much to do and today, the Government has agreed a number of new measures on probate, legislation on improving the remit of the Residential Tenancies Board and new legislation on the right to buy a home.
"This demonstrates the Government's unrelenting commitment to delivering more homes, more homeownership."
Tánaiste Micheál Martin said:
“Housing is a top priority for Government and under Housing for All, real progress is being made. We are seeing record levels of new homes under construction in 2024 and a strong pipeline to sustain momentum into next year and beyond.
“Housing for All is making a real difference and is helping first time buyers to purchase their own home. Since its launch two years ago, more than 4,850 individuals and couples have been approved under the First Home Scheme. Also, the Help to Buy Scheme has supported over 4,200 to buy their first home in the first half of this year alone.”
The Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman said:
“The most sustainable buildings we have are the ones that already exist, and I am delighted to see continued progress being made right across the country in tackling vacancy and dereliction. Applications for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant have been received in every local authority, with over 5,000 approved to date.
“In order to increase these numbers even further, the Local Authority Home Loan scheme will be extended from next week so that people who are interested in refurbishing a vacant home can also get a loan from their local council to do so.
“By bringing old homes back into use in this way, we are breathing new life into the centres of our towns and villages.”
The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien added:
“The supply of new homes is increasing under Housing for All. Building started on over 32,000 new homes in the first five months of this year. That is 147% higher than the same five-month period in 2023 and real evidence that Government initiatives such as the development contribution waiver and Uisce Éireann connection rebate scheme are having a real impact. I expect the positive trend to continue when data for building starts in June is published later this week.
“While we are significantly scaling up our stock it’s imperative that we ensure the homes being built now continue to be of the highest quality. Cabinet have today agreed to the drafting of legislation which will underpin a new Building Standards Regulatory Authority which will not only drive compliance and strengthen oversight, but will also improve consistency and enhance public confidence in construction related activity.
“As I have always said, the targets we have under Housing for All have never been a ceiling or a limitation to our ambition, and that has been proven twice now with overall targets being surpassed in both 2022 and 2023. In the area of vacancy in particular we have placed a big emphasis on getting vacant homes back into use and recently doubled the initial target under the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant to 4,000 homes. It continues to go from strength to strength as evidenced by the thousands of applications to date from all across the country.
“I look forward to the publication of new targets in the Autumn and to continuing to use every tool available to us to reach and exceed them where possible.”
Notes to Editors
Housing for All
• ‘Housing for All’ is the Government’s housing plan for Ireland to 2030. It can be read at www.gov.ie/housingforall. The plan’s overall objective is: ‘Everyone in the State should have access to a home to purchase or rent at an affordable price, built to a high standard and in the right place, offering a high quality of life.’
• The Housing for All Q2 2024 Progress Report can be read here.
• The Private Rental Review can be read here.
• Further information on the Building Standards Regulator can be found here.
Expert Group on Conveyancing and Probate
• The Report of the Expert Group on Conveyancing and Probate can be read here.
• Government has approved the establishment of an Implementation Group to proceed with the Expert Group’s recommendations, implementable in the short term, whilst overseeing, within six months, the drafting of an Implementation Plan for the remaining actions
ENDS