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The Irish Sun

‘I'm treating housing crisis as emergency', insists Minister as he slams ‘weaponised' blockages for home building delays

HOUSING Minister James Browne has promised that he is 'treating the housing crisis as an emergency' as he vented his fury at the blockages that are preventing homes being built in Ireland. The Advertisement 1 Minister Browne said he is treating the housing crisis as an emergency Credit: COLLINS PHOTO 2025 The Cabinet signed off on emergency legislation to Ministers also gave the green light to a plan to give the Land Development Agency more powers to purchase and build Former This new look planning authority will be given the power to deal with applications faster as the Government looks to remove blockages that see people go to the Advertisement READ MORE IN IRISH NEWS Housing Minister James Browne today told the Irish Sun that people with no interest in winning a court case were weaponising the system simply to delay or frustrate developments. He said: 'There are frustrations in looking at how we get from 30,000 to 50,000 and 60,000 homes per year and issues around our courts. 'They have been weaponised by people who have little or no interest in terms of property or even winning their case – simply that they could hold the process up in courts long enough. 'That is why we're addressing the judicial review piece. Advertisement Most read in The Irish Sun 'We have planners that are under huge pressure in terms of what they are turning over in planning applications and that's why we're using the exemptions piece to free up the 'There are a number of other frustrations that I am working through piece by piece to see what we can do to simplify and standardise everything and get to that point then where we have certainty from the minute somebody decides they want to deliver homes for people to those keys being handed over to those Martin vows to do 'everything we can' to reduce pressure on families ahead of Budget 2026 'The process can only go as quick as the slowest part of it so that's why I'm going through each point step by step.' The Minister promised that there would be 'significant announcements' to be made in the coming weeks on housing as he promised the public: 'I am treating the housing crisis as an emergency.' Advertisement