The Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Simon Coveney, has published “Rebuilding Ireland – an Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness” after an extensive consultation process.
Minister Coveney described the plan as a ‘far reaching and ambitious programme’. One of the key priorities outlined in the report is addressing the unacceptable level of homeless families and long-term homeless people in emergency accommodation by providing rapid housing delivery, alongside measures to support those at risk of losing their homes. Other core objectives outlined in the report include moderating rental and purchase price inflation; maturing the rental sector so that it becomes a viable and secure option for tenants; and delivering housing in a way that meets current needs.
The report lays out a 5-pillar Action Plan, namely 1 – addressing homelessness; 2 – accelerating social housing; 3 – building more homes; 4 – improving the rental sector; 5 – utilising existing housing. Many of these are inter-related and inter-dependent, with these actions the main pillars on which the whole plan is founded. In order to make this a reality, the Government has established a high-level Housing Delivery Office to support local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies in the delivery of housing projects. A Stakeholder Forum has also been established which will provide continuous feedback on the practical experience of implementation.
The Action Plan also highlights its key action areas of financing (e.g. €5.35 billion funding to support the delivery of 47,000 units of social housing by the end of 2012 etc.), regulatory reform (e.g. speeding up the planning process; potential for further legislative measures in relation to mortgage arrears to be examined etc.), delivery and supporting measures.
The Action Plan identifies a number of ‘Pathfinder Projects’ in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the plan. These focus on areas such as acquiring vacant homes for social housing; finalising an Affordable Rental Scheme; removing infrastructure blockages by activating inactive zoned housing sites; releasing state lands; providing homes cost effectively; planning for starter homes; and meeting the housing needs of students, older people and disabled people.
Minister Coveney has asserted that ‘this plan will be driven by the Government in a way that will be visible, tangible, and totally focused around results on the ground’. This is strengthened by the fact that the targets of this plan will be subject to regular Cabinet review, by the Cabinet Committee on Housing, chaired by An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny. The Taoiseach has recognised that the implementation of this plan will rely on all stakeholders, including Government departments, local authorities, housing agencies, voluntary bodies and the construction sector.
Click here to read the full Action Plan.
Click here to read FLAC’s submission to the Special Oireachtas Housing and Homelessness Committee.