Housing for All E-zine September 2023

Welcome to this month's edition of the Housing for All E-zine which brings you all the news and progress on Housing for All, the Government's housing plan to 2030.

Doors Open on New Housing Campaign

On 18 September, we launched a new information campaign called "Doors Open." The campaign highlights the wide-range of?housing supports now available?and how they can help.?

The campaign also explains how different initiatives help in different ways. Some targeting first-time buyers or those making a fresh start, some making buying or renting more affordable and others helping to turn an old building into a new home.

The campaign will run for six-weeks across TV, radio, print and digital platforms.

Visit the campaign page

Over 30% Increase in Monthly Housing Commencements

The latest monthly housing Commencements Notices (residential construction starts) published on 21 September, show a significant rise in the quantity of new homes under construction.

The data for August 2023 shows:

• 2,770 new homes were commenced in August 2023, an increase of 30.6% on the number of new homes commenced in the same month last year (2,121 units);
• 21,316 homes have been commenced in the first eight months of 2023;
• This is a 14% increase on the same period last year and a record when compared to similar periods since the data series began in 2015.August Commencement Data

Further Affordable Housing Purchase Schemes?Opening for Application

The Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme sees local authorities make new homes available for purchase by eligible applicants at reduced prices.

The scheme is a central part of the Government's Housing for All plan. As construction ramps up, more affordable homes are becoming available, with new schemes opening for applications in Navan, Co Meath and Cobh, Co Cork this week and next respectively.

Cobh, Co Cork

The Cluain Ard development offers:

• 21 two-bed townhouses,
• 22 three-bed end of terrace houses,
• 6 three-bed semi-detached houses.

Navan, Co Meath

The Baker Hall development offers:

• 3 two-bed mid terrace houses,
• 15 three-bed terraced houses,
• 8 three-bed semi-detached houses.

Land Development Agency Rolls Out More Cost Rental Homes

The Land Development Agency (LDA) is in the process of delivering 5,000 homes through the Government's Project Tosaigh initiative. This includes a large volume of cost rental homes which provide long-term tenancies at rents which are generally at least 30% below market rents.

In September, as part of Project Tosaigh, the LDA opened applications for newly completed cost rental homes in Co Wicklow and announced the delivery of 81 new cost rental homes in Co Limerick. These new homes in Limerick are currently under construction and are at a well advanced stage.

Minister O'Brien announces extension of?First Home Scheme to include self-builders building their first home

The First Home Scheme, which helps first-time buyers to bridge the gap between their mortgage, deposit and the price of a new home has been?extended to include self-builders who are building their first home.

The Scheme is already open to people buying newly-built houses and apartments in private developments.

Speaking at the announcement of the extension at the National?Ploughing Championships on 19 September, the Housing Minister, Darragh O’Brien said:??

"This is a particularly important development for people who live in more rural locations or come from a farming background and who have a site, but not the full level of finance they need to build their new home."

More about the First Home Scheme extension

Housing Minister Officially Opens The Crossings at Adamstown – Ireland’s Newest Urban Village

On 23 September,?Housing Minister, Darragh O’Brien officially opened The Crossings at Adamstown, a new urban village at the heart of this rapidly growing Dublin suburb.

The Crossings is a carefully planned new urban village centre, which has been developed to form the central core of the Adamstown Strategic Development Zone.

In partnership with the developer,?5,000 residential units are in the process of being delivered?in Adamstown and the village centre is central to the?mission to offer 15-minute living, providing quality open spaces and quality amenities alongside quality homes.?

More about the development

Consultation on Draft Sustainable & Compact Settlement Guidelines

We are seeking the?public's?views on the draft policy aimed at creating more sustainable and compact settlements and supporting more diverse housing types.

The draft guidelines will expand on government policy in the National Planning Framework, in particular:

• policies in relation to compact growth;?and?
• the creation of attractive, liveable, well-designed, high quality urban places

The deadline for submissions is?5 October.

Make a submission

Expert Group Report on the National Planning Framework (NPF) Published

The Expert Group’s Report published on 7 September, summarised that the NPF Revision should build on the current NPF strategy and strengthen it in three broad respects:

• compact growth targets should be more ambitious and more clearly defined;
• the roles of the bodies involved in its implementation should be clarified and strengthened; and
• there should be greater coordination at whole of government level across all infrastructure projects.Read the report

Uisce éireann Completes Six Strategic Project Upgrades Across the Greater Dublin Area

On 5 September, Uisce éireann announced that it had?completed six major upgrades to sewer and water networks across the Greater Dublin Area over the past year.

The delivery of new and upgraded critical water and wastewater services is?vital for future growth and development, for protecting our environment, and crucially, for providing the capacity for more homes and development in the region in line with the ambitious targets in Housing for All.?

More on the project upgrades

Nearly 22,000 Home Energy Upgrades in First Half of 2023

One of the goals of Housing for All is to drive environmental sustainability in our housing stock. One of the ways this is achieved is by rolling out?a targeted energy efficiency retrofit scheme.

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has?published a report detailing the 21,727 home energy upgrades supported through Government funded SEAI grant schemes in the first half of 2023. This is?a 150% increase on the same period last year.