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Irish Independent
22-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
County Mayo short 90 homes as social housing targets missed by 23%
The statistics, released by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, show that of a target of 395 houses, only 304 were built. The issue was raised by Cllr Michael Kilcoyne at the last meeting of Mayo County Council where he questioned management on the shortfall. 'You achieved 77% of the target in a county where we have over 200 people in emergency accommodation. I think it's a reasonable question to ask, why did you miss the target by so much?' His question was aimed at the Director of Services Tom Gilligan, who stated that Mayo County Council did deliver on its targets. However, the shortfall arose in contributions from the Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs). Under the Housing For All plan, local authorities are responsible for 60pc of new-build social houses, while AHBs are responsible for the remaining 40pc. Housing can be built directly by a local authority or an AHB, alternatively it can be delivered through turnkey, the purchasing of new housing units from private developers. 'In Mayo our target was 395 houses. The council itself, and through turnkey, delivered 63% of that, a total of 250. The AHB sector for that three-year period delivered 38 units, and 16 units were delivered through part five,' said Mr Gilligan Part five refers to a part of the planning legislation that allows local authorities to purchase a percentage of land for housing development where planning permission has already been granted. They can purchase up to 20pc of the land at market value and use it to deliver social and affordable housing. Mr Gilligan continued, 'The reality is that in the last three years or so, the council itself delivered. The AHBs did not deliver. I've raised this on numerous occasions, outlined it to the members, and I've also raised it with the department. Unfortunately we have a very low level of activity here in relation to AHBs.' In response to this, Cllr Kilcoyne said: 'Over the three-year period, the number of houses - whether it was the man on the moon, Santa Claus, the council or the AHBs who built them - were 90 short.' Speaking to the Irish Independent after the meeting, Cllr Kilcoyne expanded on this remark: 'I don't need excuses, I just want it corrected and done. It seems to me the local authority always has somebody else to blame except themselves. Management in Mayo County Council always puts forward whatever is necessary to avoid taking the blame, 'I regard the excuse given as a flimsy excuse. The fact is, the management of Mayo County Council, for whatever reason, missed their target by 90 houses. You can blame everybody else, the storm, Christmas, the weather, or the man on the moon. At the end of the day they are the housing authority.' The Irish Independent also spoke to Mr Gilligan after the meeting. He reiterated that the council is responsible for 60pc of new-build social houses, they delivered 63pc of their target, and 77pc of the overall target was achieved. 'Unfortunately, the delivery levels in Mayo by the AHB sector have not yet reached the scale required to meet our ambitious housing targets. We remain committed to achieving our targets overall and working with various stakeholders in order for that to happen,' he said. Mr Gilligan pointed out that western counties are not attracting the same attention from large-scale AHBs as those on the east coast, 'As regards the large AHBs, they have concentrated on the urban centres and the larger local authorities, particularly on the east coast. I would say it's a situation where the population demand is higher, the economies are of scale, developments are viable and there is greater access to infrastructure services, 'Rural and regional areas like Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim often fall outside their core delivery focus, which is regrettable.' The statistics show that in Sligo, 55pc of its 270 house target was met. Of the 149 houses that were built, 29 were delivered by AHBs. Meaning they produced only 19pc of their 40pc build target. In contrast, Meath had a target of 832 houses but built 1,405, achieving 168pc of its target. Of these, AHBs produced 682 houses. In Laois, the target was 359 houses, but 670 were built, smashing the target by 187pc. AHBs produced 395 of these houses in Laois. For comparison, Mayo's overall target for 2022-2024 was also 395. Mr Gilligan raised the issue with the Department for Housing, he said that it has been acknowledged by them, 'I'm hopeful that as part of the new Housing For All plan that will be coming out in September, there will be more emphasis on the larger AHBs and they will develop and build more houses here in the west of Ireland, 'There is a huge need here, we have the same housing crisis as the rest of the country.' He noted that housing bodies Tuath and Co-Operative Housing Ireland are working on projects in the county, but mentioned it would be great to get other large-scale AHBs such as Respond and Clúid, to turn their attention to Mayo. In response to Cllr Kilcoyne's criticism that the council was placing blame elsewhere, and his description of the AHBs explanation as a "flimsy excuse', Mr Gilligan said: 'I'm not into the blame game myself, it's not about trying to portion blame or demonise anyone in the sector. We really do want to work collaboratively with housing bodies to deliver, 'Cllr Kilcoyne is right, we do have a housing crisis, we do have people on our housing list, we have people who are in emergency accommodation and we want to provide long term sustainable housing for people. We all have to get involved in order to make that happen, 'If you look in relation to a tripod, we are one leg of that. We need the other two legs as well. The AHBs and part five.' In county Leitrim, AHBs produced zero houses between 2022 - 2024, but the county still managed 98pc of its 82 house target. Leitrim County Council built 73 houses meeting 89pc of the 60pc target. The remaining seven houses were delivered through part five. Cllr Kilcoyne called on Mayo County Council to take responsibility for housing delivery. The statistics from Leitrim suggest their council took on the responsibility Cllr Kilcoyne believes is needed in Mayo.
Irish Independent
09-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Planning refused for 17 new social homes in Wicklow
In January 2025, the department received a Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS) application from Wicklow County Council on behalf of Tuath AHB for the development of 17 units at Parnell Court. The CAS is designed to assist organisations, particularly Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), in providing accommodation for those most in need of housing. The scheme is part of broader efforts to address housing needs across the country and has a particular focus on vulnerable members of the population. Following a parliamentary question from the Social Democrats, Housing Minister James Browne confirmed he had communicated with Wicklow County Council in May to inform them that they were unable to approve the proposed development. The high costs of the proposed design and specification not representing value for money were cited as the main reasons for the refusal. Minister Browne indicated there are some issues that need to be addressed. 'My Department has requested both Tuath AHB and Wicklow County Council to work within design, specification and cost expectations and to actively address concerns raised and remain available to engage with Tuath AHB and Wicklow County Council in respect of the site.' he added.
Irish Times
01-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Investors and State tied to more than a fifth of home sales last year
Institutional investors and State-backed entities such as Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) bought over a fifth of the homes that came up for sale on the Irish property market last year. That's according to new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO). There was a total of 61,471 residential property transactions with a value of €24.6 billion filed with the Revenue Commissioners in 2024, the agency said. Of these, 12,696 (20.7 per cent) worth €5 billion were purchases made by non-household entities. READ MORE 'Non-household transactions are residential dwelling transactions made by private companies, charitable organisations, and state institutions,' the CSO said. On the state side, these include local authorities, AHBs and the Land Development Agency (LDA). Private rented sector (PRS) investors have bought most of the apartments built in Dublin and elsewhere in recent years. New dwellings accounted for 56.4 per cent of all purchases made by non-households in 2024, the CSO said. The acceleration in housing supply in 2021, 2022 and 2023 was in the main driven by apartment developments in Dublin and other urban locations. The current stagnation in supply – new home completions dropped by 7 per cent to 30,000 last year – is primarily because of a fall-off in this type of development. Apartment completions fell from 12,000 units to 9,000 last year and are expected to fall again this year. Foreign institutional investors had, until recently, been financing an apartment building boom in Dublin and elsewhere but higher interest rates after 2022, combined with other factors, have triggered a slowdown. To entice foreign investment back into the sector here, the Government has overhauled the State's system of rent pressure zones (RPZs). Under the proposed reform, landlords will be able to reset rents at the going market rate when a tenant leaves. Smaller landlords with three or fewer units will, however, have to offer rolling six-year tenancies while large ones will not be able to evict a tenant who has complied with their obligations except in very limited circumstances. Between 2013 and 2024 total private residential investment here totalled €10.8 billion, an average of €902 million a year. The most recent figures (€1.6 billion in 2022; €597 million in 2023; and €231 million last year) highlight the slowdown. The CSO figures show that non-household entities sold 20,841 dwellings at market prices, an increase of 9.3 per cent on the 19,061 sales made by them in 2023. The total value of the sales by non-household entities in 2024 was €9 billion, up 19.6 per cent on the 2023 value. Non-household entities in the construction sector sold 13,502 residential properties with a total value of €6 billion in 2024, up 14.3 per cent on the total value of sales made by this sector in 2023. The CSO said non-household entities in the construction sector accounted for 64.8 per cent of the total volume of sales by non-households in 2024.
Irish Independent
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
New breakdown shows just who is getting Wexford council houses – ‘There's a real false narrative out there'
You won't have to look too far online to find allegations that foreign nationals arriving into Ireland are being bumped up the queue for social housing at the expense of Irish people who may have been on the local authority housing list for years. It's something that was put to the Wexford councillor on several occasions, but it simply didn't match with his experience on the ground. Following several requests and follow ups with Wexford County Council's housing section, Cllr Forde obtained figures which provide a breakdown of the local authority's own-build social housing allocation. While the figures don't account for the sizeable chunk of social housing provided by Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), they do provide a clear pattern in relation to where council houses are going. The figures show that of 3,325 Wexford County Council built houses allocated since 2013, 2,773 (or 83%) went to Irish nationals. The next highest allocation went to people from the EEA (European Economic Area) with 404 (or 12%). Applicants from the UK accounted for 39 allocations (or 1%), while 109 houses (3.3%) were allocated to those from outside of the European Economic Area. It was also pointed out that all of these applicants, over a 12 year period, would have been subject to the same criteria and waiting times. For Cllr Forde, it was important to bust some of the myths circulating online. "I've been looking for these figures for quite a while,' he said. 'There's a narrative out there on social media that foreign nationals are coming into the country and taking social houses and getting them quicker than Irish people. A lot of people have fallen into the trap of believing this. "The figures show that, for the past 12 years, the vast majority of houses have gone to Irish nationals and that reflects my experience on the ground, working with a vast majority of Irish families on housing. ADVERTISEMENT "At the end of the day, foreign nationals are entitled to apply for housing here, as they should be. Many come and contribute greatly to our communities and work hard. They are entitled to apply for housing supports. But they are also held to the same criteria as everybody else.' Cllr Forde noted an influx of people coming from overseas were working their way through the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS), but stated this was completely different and had no bearing on social housing allocation. "In Sinn Féin we've called for the IPAS system to be abolished on several occasions,' he said. 'It's not good for the people using the system and the state should be taking the lead rather than it being a cash cow. There's huge money to be made in that system at the moment. I don't think people should be making money of the back of vulnerable people arriving into Ireland.' Returning to the housing allocation figures, Cllr Forde says that the most shocking thing about them was that there were only 3,325 houses allocated over 12 years, although he did conceded that the figures don't include housing provided by AHBs, which accounts for a large chunk of social housing. "I'm waiting on further figures in relation to the breakdown of the allocations from AHBs too,' he said. 'But I would believe that the allocation of houses by AHBs closely mirrors that of Wexford County Council's own-builds. "I think we should be pushing for more Wexford County Council own-builds as well,' he added. 'We need to be more ambitious in that regard and shouldn't be so reliant on AHBs and other developers. We need to start rezoning and identifying land to build houses and be more proactive in that regard." Regardless, Cllr Forde believes that there's a misdirected anger on social media and he hopes that these figures provide some clarity. "The narrative that's out there is false,' he said. 'I'd say the government is very happy with it. It deflects from the real problems – the shortage of housing supply, spiralling cost of living, lack of homeless services. People are venting their anger in the wrong places, aiming it at vulnerable minority groups instead of at the government and government policy. Lack of supply and lack of proper policy is the issue and that's down to the government.'
Irish Independent
11-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Tipperary council on target to surpass 2025 housing target
In the June management report, the local authority stated that their housing delivery target, set by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, is 170 units. However, the council also said they are on target to deliver 259 homes across the county this year. There are a number of housing development projects that are at various stages across the county, ranging from early design stage to complete and handed over to Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs). Among these, in the village of Gortnahoe, 12 units have been stage one approved, with a design team to be appointed to the project. Phase two of a development in Bansha is underway, with 16 units set to be delivered, with this project also at stage one approval with a design team to be appointed. 30 homes will be delivered in Borrisoleigh, which is also awaiting a design team appointment having been stage one approved. In Tipperary town, two homes on Father Matthew Street are at design review and engagement with National Monuments Service following a potential historical find on the site. In Ballingary (south), 18 units will be delivered, with this project being at revised stage two design, allowing for an increase in units in this development. The next step for this development is stage two approval. In Clogheen, a Part 8 planning process has begun for the delivery of 15 units, while in Roscrea, a development of 17 homes in Gantley Road was given planning approval by councillors at the June meeting of Tipperary County Council. Seven units will be delivered at Gort an Oir in Fethard, with planning permission granted for this development. In Thurles, six units could be built on Croke Street, subject to planning permission, with the planning section seeking further information on this development. In Boherlahan, seven units are in turnkey condition in Longfield Park, while on Grove Street in Roscrea, a contractor has been appointed to deliver nine units there. A 61 home development on Thomas Street in Clonmel is also in turnkey condition and has received approval from the Department of Housing, with hopes that these homes will come on stream in 2026. In Roscrea, a contractor is on site to deliver 50 homes at Glencarrick, with delivery due later this year, while at the Radharc na Carraige development in Glencarrick, the builder is on site developing 47 homes which will be complete in 2026. In Dun Lia in Thurles, 61 homes are under construction with an expected delivery in 2025, while at Rosefield on the Dundrum Road in Tipperary town, 16 units are due to be delivered in 2025 or 2026. Worriyingly, five developments totaling 68 units, all in Nenagh – Gortlandroe, Millersbrook, New Line Road, the Rialto site and William Street, are on hold due to Uisce Éireann. Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
