Government announces measures to address derelict properties and MMC adoption in its ‘Housing for All July Update’

In its ‘Housing for All July Update’, the government has made several significant announcements, including ringfencing €150m in funding to end long-term vacancy and dereliction in towns and cities and a new commitment to widespread adoption of MMC for public housing.

The Housing for All July Update states that strong progress has been made this year, with building started on 13,000 new homes and record numbers achieving home ownership, boosted by schemes like Help to Buy and First Home.

Building started on 12,987 new homes in the first five months of 2023, up 7% compared to the same period in 2022. The future pipeline of home delivery is strong, with 11,659 new homes granted planning permission in Q1 2023. This represents an increase of 37.8% compared to Q1 2022.

Urban Regeneration Development Fund

Under the Urban Regeneration Development Fund (URDF), a total of €150m is now available to local authorities for eligible towns and cities. Local authorities will receive a grant for the entire 100% cost of acquiring suitable properties identified within their communities, reflecting the high priority the government has placed on boosting accommodation and tackling dereliction. It complements several existing schemes to tackle vacancy and dereliction.

Modern Methods Of Construction

Publishing the Housing for All July Update, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Tánaiste Micheal Martin, Environment Minister Eamon Ryan and Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien also signalled their commitment to boost innovation and capacity in the construction sector by publishing a Roadmap for Increased Adoption of Modern Methods of Construction in Public Housing Delivery. Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) has the potential to dramatically improve construction sector productivity, innovation, speed of delivery, sustainability and, ultimately, costs. The state has now embedded these innovative methods into its public housing programme.

Commenting on the report’s publication, Leo Varadkar said, “At the halfway point of the year, building has started on almost 13,000 homes, and we have strong momentum heading into the rest of the year. We are confident we will meet or exceed our house targets for the next year of 29,000 homes, student accommodation and refurbishments. Planning permissions granted in Q1 were 40% higher than in the same period last year, and more people are buying their first home than in any period in well over a decade. Over 700 first-time buyers are being approved for mortgages every week. This is the highest figure since records began.”

Recruitment

On the recruitment front, the report included measures to enhance construction sector capacity, such as a new action plan to promote careers in construction and international recruitment events in South Africa. In the first half of 2023, construction-related apprenticeship registrations increased by 7%, and apprenticeship certifications increased by 13% compared to the same period in 2022.

Additional Measures

Other programme announcements include:

• Incentives to activate increased housing supply, including temporary waiving of local authority development contributions and the refunding of Uisce Éireann water and wastewater connection charges.

• A review of the National Planning Framework has commenced, and a roadmap outlining the process and timeline for the revision has been published.

• The Land Development Agency commenced the procurement process for Phase 2 of Project Tosaigh.

• Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant – Rates increased to €50,000 for vacant properties and €70,000 for derelict properties, with 20% more available to restore properties on offshore islands under the new National Islands Policy. The grant has also been extended to include rental properties and properties built up to and including 2007.

• An Implementation Plan for the National Housing Strategy for Disabled People has been published to facilitate disabled people to live independently in their communities.

• 12,300 older and disabled people will benefit from €83m in Housing Adaptation Grant funding.

• €62m in funding to deliver over 1,000 student accommodation beds, and work is underway to plan student accommodation across the technological higher education sector.

• Home Building Finance Ireland (HBFI) review published, underpinning the need for its continued operation in the market in order to support home delivery.

Winners and judges at last year’s Towards NetZero Awards.