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Irish Times
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Letters to the Editor, June 4th: On housing, rugby refereeing and bad sportsmanship
Sir, – I note the article by N icholas Mansergh, 'Ireland is overdependent on apartment development,' ( Business, June 2nd), where he states that an apartment of 80sqm costs an €150,000-€190,000 to build compared to a terraced house of same floor area. Here in Turkiye (Turkey) where I live for part of the year, the standard residential provision is a 12-storey apartment block, with two penthouses on top, comprising 50 two-bed apartments in total. It is difficult to find a house anywhere. How is it the case that the Turks can produce these developments cheaply and efficiently while we in Ireland cannot? I might also point out that Turkish modern apartments are of excellent design and quality. There is something wrong. How can, say, an apartment in a 50-unit block in Ireland cost in excess ¤150,000 more than a terrace house in a similar area? READ MORE Such an apartment shares the same site with adjacent apartments. It also shares floors, roofs, structural uprights, water and sewage systems and electrical systems with other adjacent apartments which logically should lead to lower costs for each individual unit. In general, materials for apartments and terraced houses cost the same. In Ireland it seems that there is over-regulation and over-specification regarding apartment construction. Indeed, Tánaiste Simon Harris recently indicated that he is open to seeing if these can be eased. The Irish have a historical bias against apartments and almost every proposed development is met by planning objections. The costs and time delays to apartment developers adds to the overall cost of construction. Large apartment developments require large construction companies and since the demise of the Celtic Tiger, these appear to no more. A solution may be to bring in large foreign companies from outside. Mr Mansergh makes the extraordinary claim that apartments are not suitable for owner occupiers and may not be viable in the future. Really? The rest of the world does not think so. – Yours, etc, TIMOTHY RYAN, Castleknock, Dublin 15. Sir, – I completely agree with Nicholas Mansergh that Ireland is over-dependent on apartment development while unduly focused on private investment funds to satisfy our housing needs. While the rapid expansion of apartment buildings in the 1990s in Dublin, led by major Irish builders, produced much-needed apartment accommodation for workers and students, at that time private buyers were also incentivised to purchase. Since then while apartment blocks were built, few individual units were advertised for sale. Entire blocks were purchased by investment funds and this continues to be the case. There are many unintended consequences: workers are forced to rent at very high rates (as investors seek a return); few apartments are being sold to owner occupiers, few family homes are being built that might be purchased by tenants who want to a home to raise a family. If we continue to focus on investment-led office and apartment blocks, we are left with few contractors and skilled staff to build much needed family homes. In order to explore this issue further, it would be helpful to compare the number of new builds by city and county councils. For instance, have some counties – like Galway – generated more domestic family units in suburbs and village communities than others. If so what are the factors that actively contribute to such developments? A regional 'best practice model' would help the Government to further explore and resolve our housing needs. – Yours, etc, Dr EVELYN MAHON, Fellow Emerita, School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College, Dublin 2 . Sir, – Your columnist Pat Leahy's article ('Housing emergency? It's not even treated as mildly urgent', May 31st) makes for depressing reading. There is zero chance, just several months into a new administration, of the Government meeting its promised 300,000 completed units during its term. The simple truth is that the biggest societal challenge within Ireland today is going to become more serious and more socially alienating over the short- to medium-term future. The likelihood of amplified social unrest is very high, driven by frustration and anger at a continuing failure to address what has been a known problem for over a decade now. The current approach to fixing the problem is clearly suboptimal. It is time for the Taoiseach to show real leadership and steer through the necessary emergency legislation that rapidly removes the identifiable roadblocks, be they infrastructural, planning, financial, tax-based etc. Such legislation was passed in 2020 in the public interest in response to Covid 19. It is past time to recognise our housing crisis as the social challenge that has and will increasingly have an impact on every aspect of our society, in an ever-increasing negative way. More of the same approach to addressing this crisis will commit us to certain failure and a likely dual outcome of increased emigration and domestic social upheaval. – Yours, etc, GERRY PRIZEMAN, Clontarf, Dublin. Leaving Certificate results Sir, – This is the week that the Leaving Cert starts in Ireland. Here in France the equivalent state exam, the Baccalauréat, starts next week. In both countries the exams will end in the third week in June. And then something very odd happens. Here in France, students will get their results within two weeks, and this has been the norm for generations. But in Ireland, students have to wait a staggering two months. This delay has always been the case in Ireland, but it is also very unfair on students. Stress and uncertainty could be avoided, particularly by students being able to plan and prepare for the future during the summer, as opposed to rushing and panicking in the last week in August. Can we not do better ? Make 'beatha an scoláire aoibhinn arís'. Make student life joyful again. – Yours, etc, CIARÁN Mac GUILL, Clichy, France. Sir , – Can I respectfully request The Irish Times and other print and broadcast media outlets to desist from their daily analysis of the Leaving Certificate examinations? This annual exercise of detailed exam postmortems is not only futile, but puts added stress on students and their parents/guardians. – Yours, etc, Dr PADRAIG McGARTY, Mohill, Co Leitrim. Tsar play Sir, – In reference to your editorial 'To tsar or not to tsar ' (May 31st), you quoted the secretary general of the relevant department as saying such a person is not needed and also pointed to the fact that a tsar could in fact be a person appointed by government to resolve a particular issue. First of all, let me say that the reaction of the secretary general is typical. Secretary generals never want to cede power. Secondly, numerous politicians and ministers over the years realise that their departments and civil servants are incapable of resolving particular issues and delivering the required change. As a result, they establish agencies to do so and oft times put in place specific legislation to allow them to resolve issues and effect change. Even so, the departments resist the efforts of agencies to deliver their legislative responsibilities. They do not like the fact that their minister can actually refer to the chair of an agency rather than them. More times than not, the chief executive is caught in the middle, keeping the balance and bearing the responsibility between chair, board and department. In most cases, the department wins such struggles. I had the benefit of managing such tensions for many years as chief executive of the Heritage Council. My experience tells me that with the legislative responsibilities given by government to agencies (tsar or no tsar) at least the agency has a clear idea what it has to do and very often does just that. Certainly, to date as far as housing is concerned no department has come anywhere near. – Yours, etc, MICHAEL STARRETT, Kilkenny. Defence Forces and pay issue Sir, – M artin Wall's article ('Expert group raised Air Corps staffing concerns in 2021, June 2nd) outlines the recommendations made by the joint Department of Defence/Defence Forces Group in 2021 to dissuade military air traffic controllers from leaving the Air Corps for the better paid private sector. His article also states that this 2021 report was not acted on, which now raises the prospect in 2025 of Air Corps management having to restrict its decades long 24/7 air-traffic control services. For clarity, I'm adding here that it is various Civil Service departments who control pay and conditions and not Air Corps management in this instance. So, the obvious question is why has this deteriorating situation been allowed to drag on? Mr Wall's comment that the 2021 report was not acted on provides a partial answer. The full answer needs the question to be asked, which is: which department/person rejected the group's recommendations and what reasons were given at the time? Was it based on technical or financial advice or something else? The Civil Service sometimes acts in an arcane way but this is one simple answer that doesn't need the imprimatur of the Minister of Defence. Of course, the Minister himself has the power to put an end to this needless morale sapping of the Air Corps capabilities. It's a situation crying out for political action and not mere words anymore. – Yours, etc, Comdt FRANK RUSSELL (ret'd) Blanchardstown, Dublin 15. National Anthem Sir, – I noticed that prior to the Dublin v Armagh senior football championship fixture in Croke Park on Sunday, an announcement was made over the public address system to players and spectators to respect in full the national anthem. It reflects positively on all concerned that the message was complied with. Perhaps someone in authority in Croke Park had read Kevin O'Regan's letter of May 30th in the Irish Times letters page: Our international rugby and soccer teams stand proudly to attention at all times during the playing of our anthem, so why not GAA players? – Yours, etc, RICHARD POWER, Ballymacarbry, Co Waterford. Sir, – A correspondent compares the pride and passion displayed by Ireland rugby players in their singing of the national anthem compared to GAA players. My observation, since I depend a lot on lip-reading, is that not all the Ireland rugby players know all the words and their obvious guessing makes me cringe. It must be stressful for them too on a day which is already exacting enough. I think the anthem, sung only for home games, should be dropped. Ireland's Call, whatever its defects, has at least the unifying advantage of representing all the provinces, and is easy to learn. – Yours, etc, PATRICK O'DONOGHUE, Maynooth, Co Kildare. Nuclear energy Sir, – Dr Anne Baily (Letters, June 2nd) suggests nuclear energy as a means to help Ireland meet its climate targets. While the urgency is undeniable, the proposed solution deserves closer scrutiny. Replacing fossil fuels (which we now know have caused profound harm) with nuclear technology (that we already know is deeply hazardous and problematic for a very long time) is hardly an improvement. It risks exchanging one legacy of environmental damage for another. Climate breakdown cannot be solved purely through technological fixes, or by sidestepping the more difficult task of changing the systems and lifestyles that fuel greenhouse gas emissions as well as a host of broader environmental crises. The real challenge is to rethink how we live, consume and use energy. Renewables, energy efficiency and community-based solutions already offer safer, faster and more democratic ways forward. Ireland should invest in those, rather than repeating old mistakes under a new name. – Yours, etc, HANS ZOMER, Chief Executive Officer, Global Action Plan, Dublin. Calling foul on rugby antics Sir, – As usual Owen Doyle ( 'Persistent acceptance of foul play is a dreadful reflection on rugby', June 3rd) is exactly right. What was once a beautiful game has been allowed to degenerate, on and off the field. The forward-dominated assaults on the goal line, with the endless penalty advantages, the ping-pong kicking, the boorish behaviour of some players and the ignorant and abusive antics of sections of supporters are killing the game. I feel sorry for referees attempting to deal with the ever-changing and often inconsistent laws, and players trying to pull the wool over their eyes, but that does not disguise the fact, as Doyle points out, that some are simply not up to the task, and nor, it seems, are many of the administrators, who are guilty of neglect. – Yours, etc, BILL REDMOND, Edinburgh, Scotland. Sir, – As an avid soccer fan I have been admonished, patronised and chastised by rugby-supporting friends about the moral superiority surrounding the conduct of rugby players on the field of play. The antics of Jaden Hendrikse at Kings Park, Durban, on Saturday nailed this myth once and for all. Not alone did Hendrikse enact a fabricated 'cramp' episode to inconvenience an opponent, he added a 'wink' as his coup de grace. Gerry Thornley bemoans the failure to maintain the values of respect shown by this episode ('Sharks shameful antics betrayed moral code that makes rugby special', Tuesday, June 3rd). Perhaps, the moral code attributed to rugby now resides 'with O'Leary in the grave'. – Yours, etc, JOHN NAUGHTON, Leopardstown, Dublin 18. Bigger picture Sir, – We are hearing again about the Calor Gas-sponsored housewife of the year competition that took place annually from 1967 to 1995. When I hear negative comments about this event I think it's important to keep the bigger picture in mind and not get drawn into presentism and to remember that you cannot judge the morning by the rules of the afternoon. – Yours, etc, MARY DALY, Dublin.
Daily Telegraph
01-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Telegraph
Locked out: Generation faces housing crisis catastrophe
Australia's housing affordability crisis has reached code red status as runaway construction costs threaten to permanently lock out a generation of potential homeowners. A new analysis reveals a construction sector in turmoil, with renovation expenses surging a staggering 43 per cent since late 2019 and building material prices remaining stubbornly elevated, sitting 35.4 per cent above pre-pandemic levels. The crisis, driven by a perfect storm of crippling labour shortages, supply chain disruptions, and soaring prices for essential materials is prompting urgent calls for government intervention to prevent a full-blown housing catastrophe. Exclusive data by the Housing Industry Association shows essential materials are bleeding budgets dry, with the cost of copper pipes and fittings skyrocketing by 14.4 per cent annually and 63.4 per cent since the end of 2019. The cost of electrical cable and conduit are equally alarming, jumping 9.5 per cent annually and a shocking 69.7 per cent since the end of 2019. Even the humble clay brick, a cornerstone of Australian construction, has surged by 8.3 per cent annually and 48.4 per cent since the end of 2019, while timber doors rose by 7.4 per cent annually. RELATED 17,000 ads: Aussie tradie jobs no one wants Demolition dilemmas: Aus homes under threat Build new for less: Top spots under $850K revealed Only materials like plywood, steel beams, plastic sanitary ware, reinforcing steel, sheet metal and other electrical equipment saw a reduction in cost between 4 per cent and 9 per cent. However, it's a drop in the ocean, considering the cost of skilled labour, which saw a 5.5 per cent increase over the 12 months to March, with those looking to build now paying 35.5 per cent more for a home than they did pre Covid. To put it in numbers, the average national build cost now is $484,315, according to March figures by the Bureau of Statistics, $18,832 more than the previous year and $152,969 more since pre-Covid in 2020, when the average build cost just $331,346. HIA senior economist Tom Devitt said while the numbers looked bleak, the cost of construction material was starting to stabilise. 'Some of the numbers shared do show a few materials are still going up really rapidly…but the average building materials have actually really slowed. They are still very much elevated from five years ago but they do look like they've stabilised. 'Labor costs are also still increasing quite rapidly but also not as much as they did three years ago. Our trade report two or three years ago had a single year where trade prices went up 10 per cent.' Mr Devitt said while the cost of materials would come down with time, the real concern going forward was ongoing labour shortages. 'The demand is still going to be outstripping the supply of trades unless the government follows through on what they've been paying lip service to in terms of fast tracking in-demand construction trades,' he said. '(So far) nothing has really progressed from that because the number of skilled trades that have been arriving, relative to overall overseas arrivals, has been minute.' The hidden cost behind Australia's homebuilding struggles An analysis by NextMinute, a leading project management software for tradies, recently shed light on the occupations with the highest vacancy rates and the most job ad listings across Australia, revealing a stark disparity between supply and demand in the trade sector. Official figures indicate that motor mechanics, electricians, and welders are among the most sought-after trades, with thousands of vacancies across all Australian states. However, SEEK job ad volumes suggest the demand is far greater, with listings for electricians alone exceeding six times the official vacancy count. Similarly, there are 9749 listings for mechanics and 2706 for welders, reflecting widespread recruitment challenges in the industry. Despite attractive salaries, several trades remain under-represented in global job searches, such as airconditioning and refrigeration mechanics, who earn over $2000 per week. The United Kingdom leads overseas demand, with UK-based workers conducting thousands of monthly searches for Australian trade jobs. NextMinute CEO Alex Jenks said the discrepancy highlighted the ongoing recruitment challenges faced by trade businesses. These shortages are slowing down projects, driving up costs, and putting pressure on business owners,' he said. 'Interestingly, the countries showing the most interest don't always align with the trades in greatest need. 'For example, airconditioning and refrigeration mechanics have over 500 official vacancies, but little international search activity, pointing to blind spots in global awareness of Australia's workforce needs.' Australia needs to think modular With Australia forecast to fall 262,000 homes short of its national 1.2 million housing target by 2029, Ray White Group senior economist Nerida Conisbee said a modular approach was needed to address ongoing construction concerns. 'It's taking things like trusses off site and making it more of a manufacturing process, as opposed to building them on site where you need far more skilled labour,' she said. 'Another example would be kitchens and bathrooms which are really time consuming and expensive to build on site. So if you just have to assemble them within a house, that makes it a lot cheaper…everything else can be done offshore. 'Another thing to look at would be the way we design houses. One of the reasons why it's so expensive to build is because Australians really love their houses to be different from their neighbours. 'And so, if we're looking at new areas, if we're starting to build houses that are very similar, then it becomes a lot quicker and cheaper to build houses.'
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Realtor.com gave Mass. an 'F' for housing production. Framingham officials explain why
Massachusetts recently received an "F" rating in a report on affordability and home building. The culprit, according to Framingham officials: The raw cost of building homes. According to the report, Massachusetts' zoning code is complicated and its regulatory complexity costs builders time and money; those costs are then passed onto homeowners. At the local level, Framingham Director of Planning and Community Development Sarkis Sarkisian said there's a delay in building units because of building costs and the local energy code. "It's very expensive to build anything right now because of the cost of construction," Sarkisian said. "I think the permitting too has improved, but it's not the permitting, it's just the cost to meet all these demands." Building costs can include lumber — the price of which has risen more than 20% in the past year. Other costs include those related to water and sewer infrastructure and permitting. Sarkisian said developers pay into that, and they must show there's going to be a profit when the projects cost $40 million to 50 million. Local energy codes are also a factor, Sarkisian said, leading to developers building triple-paned windows and ensuring buildings are well insulated and efficient. 'Persistent lack of inventory': Mass. real estate pros say sellers still have upper hand Overall, 1,945 units have been approved in Framingham since 2013, according to a spreadsheet shared by Sarkisian. Approval timelines can vary from project to project. A 40-unit project on Union Street was approved in six months. However, other projects, including one on Howard Street, have taken years to complete. According to Framingham Chief Operating Officer Michael Tusino, the Howard Street development was delayed due to engineering and Planning Board members not being comfortable with the number of units proposed. In addition, Tusino said apartment buildings face delays because of financing. "What I'm being told is it's higher interest rates, which affects the cost," he said. "That's just another cost, you can add that into the cost of construction." Massachusetts ranked 50th out of 51 on list (50 states plus Washington, D.C.) of Affordability and Homebuilding Report Cards. Massachusetts has a median home price of $781,758 with a median income of $96,584, according to the website. The report also notes that zoning codes in Massachusetts are tough to navigate. According to the National Zoning Atlas, there are 16 zoning districts per jurisdiction and 131 pages of zoning code per jurisdiction, including 1,187 pages in Boston. 'Pent-up demand redefines market': Seven MetroWest communities have median home sale price above $1M "Not only are these zoning codes onerous, but they are also highly fragmented, with a distinct zoning jurisdiction for every 20,000 residents on average," the report reads. "These artificial restrictions limit the supply of housing in the state and will continue to result in Massachusetts struggling with affordable housing. When cities restrict apartments and starter homes, it's not just policy — it's also pushing out teachers, nurses and working families." Southern and midwestern states were among the highest achievers in the report. Nevertheless, Sarkisian said Framingham is building at a far greater rate than its neighbors. "Framingham is way ahead of everyone," he said. "We've approved so many housing projects, over 500 units of housing we've approved. All of our housing, the big, multifamily housing projects, are at 95% capacity right now." This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Framingham officials say building costs crimp home construction
