“Rebuilding Ireland” Positively Recieved
An action proposal for the problems of housing provide storage and homelessness was released yesterday. The deal was warmly welcomed by industry and housing charities. The plan is positive in outlook.
The Rebuilding Ireland action plan is designed to accelerate housing supply in nationally. The plan it is said will result in an increase in the delivery of homes. The plan will address the needs of the homeless in emergency accommodation, accelerate social housing provision, deliver more housing, utilise vacant homes and improve the rental sector.
A major Government undertaking, the plan ranges across financing measures, better use of existing homes, new construction, and rental sector improvements. The plan has five pillars:
Pillar 1 – Address Homelessness
Pillar 2 – Accelerate Social Housing
Pillar 3 – Build More Homes
Pillar 4 – Improve the Rental Sector
Pillar 5 – Utilise Existing Housing
In the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) statement on Housing Action Plan, featured on the Irish building website, CIF Director General Tom Parlon said, “There is widespread agreement that the housing supply shortage is a major challenge facing Irish society. Today’s strategy is a welcome step in addressing this challenge of unlocking supply in a sustainable way. The ambitious targets set out today will only be achieved if these measures support house building activity and there is coordinated follow through by all stakeholders including the industry, government and local authorities.”
The Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) welcomed the plan saying, “We commend Minister Coveney and the Government for this considerable achievement in having consulted widely and produced a research-based, co-ordinated approach with timelines and key deliverables within 100 days. The new strategy provides an opportunity for a fresh start to deliver Ireland’s housing needs in an efficient and cost-effective manner.”
Charities, including Threshold and Peter McVerry Trust, also commented on the plan. Pat Doyle, CEO of Peter McVerry Trust, said, “The Housing Action Plan is a strong statement of intent and if implemented in full will bring about a significant reduction in the number of people in homelessness and result in a dramatic increase in the number of housing units available in the housing system as a whole.”
Vacant houses or “voids” have long been a problem for social housing providers in Ireland. Mr Doyle said Peter McVerry Trust fully supports measures to re-active vacant buildings across the State. “These units will, if targeted successfully, become a major source of readily available housing supply in urban areas. Bringing empty properties back into the housing system will allow time for the major construction projects to come on stream in the next 2-3 years.”
Aideen Hayden, Chairperson of Threshold said, “For the past number of years, Threshold has been calling for the development of a national strategy for the private rented sector (PRS) in Ireland, with affordability and security of tenure the key issues which must be tackled by such a strategy. To be successful this strategy must take on the key recommendations of the Oireachtas Committee on Housing and Homelessness in relation to long term rent certainty and enhanced security of tenure for tenants. These measures should not be put on the long finger and should be prioritised as a matter of urgency.”
