Wexford County Council ‘confident' it will ‘over-deliver' on housing targets set by government
At a special council meeting held to discuss housing delivery in Co Wexford, Mr Taaffe said WCC was on track to exceed the targets set under the government's Housing For All programme which runs from 2022-26.
'Our target for that time period is 1150 builds and 855 of those have been delivered so far,' he said. 'We hope to deliver a further 628 by the end of 2026, that would bring us to approximately 1400 which would be around 30 per cent over our target. However, the message from the department (of housing) has always been that those targets are a minimum requirement and that is the way we have treated them. So we are confident we will over-deliver on those numbers.'
Providing some up-to-date figures, Mr Taaffe said the 2024 target for the council was 189 properties of which 56 have been 'delivered to date'.
'We hope to deliver a further 257 this year which would bring us to over 300. Next year our target is 193 and we hope to deliver in excess of 350,' he added.
While WCC is continuing to work on housing projects across the county, Mr Taaffe explained that there were a number of ways those on the social housing list could be provided with accommodation.
'People think the only way they're going to get a house is through a new construction, but that's not reflective of our total allocations,' he said. 'Generally we allocate 400-500 properties per year. In 2022 we allocated 611, that was a mixture of new builds, re-lets, transfers, houses from approved housing bodies (AHBs), and a small number of mortgage to rent.
'Under the Housing For All programme approximately 60 per cent of new social houses are to be delivered by local authorities with the remaining 40 per cent provided by AHBs. At the moment we're closer to 50/50, but in the later stages of the programme we will be increasing our own builds.'
In addition to these projects, Mr Taaffe said WCC was now in the process of developing affordable housing schemes throughout the county. Under the affordable housing scheme local authority-provided homes are available at a reduced price for first-time buyers whose combined mortgage and deposit will not cover the market price of the newly built home.
One such scheme is now 'up and running' in Ramsfort with two smaller schemes in Enniscorthy set to provide 30 homes and one in Wexford town providing ten.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
5 days ago
- Irish Times
Dublin's €70bn infrastructural upgrade: how it breaks down
Despite the development of the M50 , Luas , Dart and the Port Tunnel, Dublin has outgrown its infrastructure and needs a €70 billion investment in housing, transport, water and energy (over 15 years) to catch up. That's according to KPMG . While the figure was used to showcase the consultancy's Dublin 2040 report, published on Wednesday, highlighting what Dublin-based businesses see as the city's strengths and challenges, it wasn't actually contained in the report. KPMG's corporate finance partner Hazel Cryan, however, told The Irish Times that its €70 billion estimate accompanying the report was derived from an analysis of various Government strategies in housing, transport and other sectors. READ MORE [ Dublin needs €70bn investment in infrastructure by 2040 Opens in new window ] 'We've applied an extrapolation out to 2040 based on those reports and what the known big projects very much an estimate,' she said. It breaks down as follows: €30 billion is needed to upgrade the city's transport network as per the Greater Dublin Area Transport Strategy, which includes mega projects like the proposed MetroLink underground rail project. A further €26 billion is earmarked for housing, mainly on the social and affordable projects and targets contained in current Housing for All strategy and beyond. KPMG also reckons that a further €10 billion is needed to upgrade the city's water infrastructure (which is highlighted as a key block on housing development). An additional €6 billion is also necessary to upgrade the city's energy infrastructure to meet the growing demand for electricity and to support the transition to a low-carbon economy, it says. A further €500 million is also needed to upgrade the city's climate risk and flood defence system. All in, a hefty outlay to get the city fit for purpose. KPMG's Dublin 2040 report is based on a survey 300 Dublin-based businesses and what they see as the key priorities. Unsurprisingly the survey found almost 9 in 10 (87 per cent) believe Dublin is doing poorly in the area of housing, reflecting what the report describes as 'the persistent and ubiquitous nature of the issue'. Housing is flagged as the top concern with 60 per cent of businesses seeing affordable accommodation as a critical infrastructure issue ahead of healthcare (20 per cent), public transport (15 per cent) and technology (5 per cent). 'Dublin is beyond an inflection point in a number of critical areas,' said Ryan McCarthy, managing partner at KPMG in Ireland.
Irish Post
6 days ago
- Irish Post
Construction work begins on landmark social housing project in Dublin
THE sod was turned this week on a much-anticipated social housing project in Dublin. Construction work has officially begun on Blackbird Park in Cabra, north Dublin for the Focus Housing Association development, which is part of the homeless and housing charity Focus Ireland. When completed, the 2.03-hectare site, which was gifted to the charity by the Dominican Sisters, will provide homes for 95 families in need, as well as two community rooms and a public green area and children's play space. Mayor of Dublin, Emma Blain joined Ireland's Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne and local councillors at the sod-turning event. (L-R) Pat Dennigan, Focus Ireland CEO, Sr Stan, Focus President and co-founder, Mayor of Dublin Emma Blain and Housing Minister James Browne at the event 'Dublin City Council is delighted to support and work with Focus Ireland and Focus Housing Association to deliver these much-needed homes, which will provide secure, permanent housing for individuals and families in a wonderful part of the city,' Ms Blain said. Minister Browne added: 'I'm delighted to be here today in the constituency of Dublin Central to turn the sod at this important housing scheme which showcases the positive impact of environmental regeneration can have on our housing situation. 'As we work towards addressing the challenges, to resolving and increase the supply of housing, all forms of housing an achieving the targets outlined under a new Housing for All plan, developments such as The Blackbird Park site in Ratoath Road, Cabra will alleviate some of the pressure on the housing market and provide quality and sustainable homes for families, young people and the wider community.' Minister for Housing, Local Government, Heritage, James Browne addresses the sod-turning event Speaking at the sod-turning ceremony, Pat Dennigan, CEO of Focus Ireland, said the development is their largest housing scheme to date. 'These energy-efficient, sustainable, and high-quality homes will be provided to families and individuals most in need and is only possible because of the generous donation of land received from the Dominican Sisters, Cabra to Focus Housing Association,' he explained, 'This year, marks Focus Ireland 40th Anniversary, however, we don't see it as something to celebrate when so many people are affected by the current housing situation and upward challenges of homelessness in our society. 'Therefore, developments like Blackbird Park are the type of scheme helping us meet our new build social housing delivery targets and allowing us to strengthen social cohesion and grow community life for long-term homeless families and individuals struggling to find a place to call home.' He added: 'In every town and city nationwide, there is under-utilised land in urban and built-up areas including empty, derelict buildings of which could be used to relieve significant housing demand and help bring lasting resolution to the housing shortages. "If used well, they can be a source of urban renewal and value for the surrounding community.' Many of the families and individuals who will get homes at Blackbird Park have been 'stuck' on Dublin City Council's social housing waiting list for many years, according to Focus Ireland . 'They are set to become part of a vibrant and inclusive community, close to wonderful community schools and other amenities such as hospitals, community sports and recreational facilities,' they explained. 'At Focus Ireland we say every project makes a difference, every donation counts, every home delivered changes lives. 'Each success brings us closer to our goal—ensuring that every person in this country has the right to a secure, decent quality home, and a great place to live. 'In so doing, our team is proud to be actively involved in shaping the future of housing in Ireland, providing high-quality homes that will make a real difference to people's lives.' See More: Blackbird Park, Cabra, Dublin, Focus Ireland
Extra.ie
7 days ago
- Extra.ie
Campaigner says target for housing so 'unattainable' it's 'made of pixie dust'
A housing campaigner has warned that there is no chance of the Government meeting its 2030 housing targets even if it implements advice from developers. And the head of one construction company called on ministers to scrap the 13.5% VAT rate on new homes or risk missing the target of 300,000 new homes by 2030 by as much as half. Housing campaigner David Hall said that even if the Government took on a 'radical' role in housing, the target would still be unattainable because it is 'made of pixie dust'. He added: 'These targets are imaginary and magical. Born from Disneyland, they have no bearing to reality and there's no drive or money to meet these targets. Pic: georgeclerk/Getty Images 'I'd be in favour of removing VAT, but then you must put a cap in relation to a profit margin. There are set prices in healthcare and other parts of procurement, and we have a housing emergency. Scrapping the VAT is fine, but that doesn't mean that the developers can add on that 13.5%.' Stephen Garvey, chief of developer Glenveagh, has backed tax breaks for developers, telling the Business Post there was a need for further co-operation between the Government's Housing, Finance and Expenditure departments. Mr Hall said he would be 'in favour of anything that corrects the current emergency', including tax breaks for developers, but that the Government's words and actions were not matching up. He added: 'The developers say they can't sell the apartments they build, and construction of apartments has dropped off massively. There's no money, and I would welcome a clarification from the Department of Housing as to what instructions it's been given from the Department of Public Expenditure around money. Overview of a new housing development. Pic: Getty Images 'Anyone like me in housing looking for funding from local government will tell you it's very difficult. It's much tighter and a lot less than it was before.' Apartment development dropped significantly in 2024, while the construction of new homes has fallen by almost 90% to 3,945 in the first four months of this year. Mr Hall said: 'Every single part of the system is now going against the delivery of houses. I would be shocked if we reached 25,000 houses this year.' The current Housing for All target for 2025 is 41,000 new homes. Mr Hall said the State should take equity in properties and release those slowly over a period of time 'to give people a helping hand in a deposit', but added that State intervention also needs to be balanced. He explained: 'We don't want developers to take advantage of it. But it's not NASA. If we can send people to the Moon, we can come up with a formula that works for everyone. 'The State taking an equity in properties which are available at the moment on a small scale hasn't had much of a take-up. 'The Government making announcements is like the head of an octopus waving its head, and unless the tentacles, which are the local authorities, do something, the policy utterances are utterly irrelevant.'
