Enabling more housing

The Government is taking a whole-of-Government approach to deliver 300,000 homes. Actions include activating land, providing infrastructure, securing investment, improving construction viability, boosting skills, and tackling vacancy and dereliction.

To build 300,000 homes, we need enough land that is zoned and serviced. The Government will ensure land is available, planning is clear and timely, and new homes are built in the right places with services and community facilities. This will support climate goals and create sustainable communities by expanding existing towns and developing new ones.

Activating Land, Delivering Infrastructure

To deliver 300,000 new homes, Ireland needs major investment around €20 billion every year, most of it from private sources.

The Government is focused on:

• Reducing construction costs, especially for apartments and higher-density housing.
• Making building more viable through measures like development levy waivers, Uisce Éireann connection charge rebates, and the Croí Cónaithe (Cities) Scheme.

These steps have helped activate supply, but more action is needed. The Government will create the conditions to attract investment and close the viability gap, ensuring faster delivery of homes.

Facilitating Investment, Addressing Viability

Even with record Government investment in housing, public funding alone cannot meet all the costs of development. Most of the finance will need to come from private sources, including international investors, as is common across Europe.

To attract this investment, Government aims to keep housing policy stable and predictable. There is no single solution to the challenges of funding and costs, so Delivering Homes, Building Communities sets out a range of actions that work together to address these issues.

Enabling Investment

To deliver over 300,000 homes, Ireland’s construction sector must double its output. A key part of achieving this is increasing skills and adopting Modern Methods of Construction (MMC). MMC will speed up building, improve quality, and make projects more sustainable and cost-effective. This requires a coordinated approach across Government, industry, and professional bodies.

Increasing Skills, Adopting Modern Methods of Construction

Vacant and derelict buildings harm communities and waste opportunities for new homes. Bringing these properties back into use is essential for sustainable housing close to local services and amenities. Government has introduced a range of schemes—such as the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, planning exemptions for converting commercial space, the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund, and the Repair and Lease Scheme—that are already turning thousands of empty properties into homes.

Securing Additional Supply, Ending Dereliction & Vacancy