a day ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Dublin City Council built fewer than half the homes it was meant to over past three years
For those years, 2,341 homes were delivered in the local authority area, equating to 49 per cent of the target of 4,800.
The figures come from an update given to councillors by Mick Mulhern, DCC's head of housing, at yesterday's housing committee meeting, during which he conceded the recent performance of the authority on delivering homes had been 'not great'.
Broken down by year, 613 homes were built in 2022, 759 in 2023 and 969 in 2024, well short of the 895, 1,931 and 1,974 respective targets set by the Department of Housing.
For 2025 so far, 235 homes have been delivered in the DCC area.
"The slow start in 22, 23 and 24 were due to a variety of reasons around resourcing and capacity in the sector … but I think the ship is moving, and I think we will exceed our 25 and 26 targets,' Mr Mulhern said.
Department of Housing targets for 2025 and 2026 are 2,122 and 2,165 homes respectively built.
In the council's own Housing Delivery Action Plan 2022-2026, the authority committed to 2,588 homes to be built this year, and 2,355 next year.
Over the lifetime of the plan, DCC said 8,939 homes would be built, of which 2,576, or 29 per cent, have been completed.
Mr Mulhern said that out to 2030, there is a potential capacity of 14,000 homes in the DCC area, with that rising to 16,000 by 2032.
Councillors were disappointed with DCC's failure to meet housing targets, with Sinn Féin's Daithí Doolan saying the proportion of houses in the report directly built by DCC was 'quite alarming'.
"Dublin City Council delivering 14 per cent of housing in Dublin, to see it in percentages shows how far back we have become, as opposed to the '60s and '70s when Dublin City Council were the driving force, the majority in delivering units,' Mr Doolan said.
"I would like to see us return to that day when Dublin City Council is the lead developer. From my understanding, it's more effective, it's more efficient. There's more democratic control and the outcome is better.'
Independent councillor Christy Burke decried the number of three-bedroom homes being built in Dublin city.
"If you get one, it's like winning the lottery,' he said.
"It's heartbreaking when you have families who are probably seven and eight years now number one and two and three on the [housing] list, waiting on three-beds, and there is not a move going to happen'.
