'Common sense' to delay Housing Plan until review of National Development Plan complete, housing minister says
Yesterday Taoiseach Micheál Martin confirmed that the housing plan would be delayed beyond July, when it was initially expected, with the possibility it will not be published until September.
The housing plan will outline how the Government plans to meet its housing targets.
While the review of the NDP, which sets out the Government's investment priorities in infrastructure, will look at all public capital investment projects up to 2035.
Mr Browne said the Government were 'not waiting for the housing plan' to bring in measures to tackle the housing crisis and that new decisions were being made every week.
'I think it's just common sense in terms of we won't be able to finalise and publish the housing plan until the National Development Plan is completed.
'Minister Chambers is working very hard with all the various departments but that is obviously a challenging situation. All of us in our different departments have our asks,' Mr Browne said.
Meanwhile secondments from different state bodies to the new Housing Activation Office (HAO) are being finalised, Mr Browne confirmed.
However, he did not confirm when the head of this new office would be appointed.
'We're finalising now and confirming secondments into it from the various utilities. The secretary is in place, and we're standing it up now and only had a meeting on it yesterday,' Minister Browne said.
Mr Browne said while the HAO would be 'on the ground' to help ensure properties are development and land is serviced, the office is only 'one part of a really important jigsaw'.
After former NAMA chief Brendan McDonagh withdrew his name from consideration to head up this new office, it is unclear who will take up the position.
The minister said while the head of this office was important, it was not essential to housing activation.
'It's a matter of identifying the head, but this is a team that's going to represent myself on the ground.
'I'll be making the strategic decisions, the policy decisions. Their role as a team on the ground is to unlock those sites. The head is important, but it's not an essential piece that housing activation, obviously, it's just one piece in that puzzle,' Mr Browne said.
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