Housing for All aims to focus on four pathways to establish a more sustainable housing system: support home ownership and increase affordability; eradicate homelessness, increase social housing delivery and support social inclusion; increase new housing supply; and address vacancy and make efficient use of existing stock.
Some of the main initiatives put forward to address the issues around supply include the largest ever social housing build programme, target of 54,000 affordable homes delivered by 2030, focus on new builds to provide social homes and measures to include vacant lands for residential housing.
Speaking at the launch of the plan yesterday, 02 September, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said: "Many people are struggling to access housing, whether they are trying to buy or rent. Few things are more fundamental to us than having somewhere to live. Through this policy the government is demonstrating its commitment to build the required amount of housing, of different tenures, to a high standard, and in the right location, for people of all circumstances. Today we are announcing the most ambitious programme of social and affordable housing delivery in the history of the State, with 90,000 social homes and 54,000 affordable homes to be provided by the end of 2030. We will also continue to support our most vulnerable by significantly increasing the number of tenancies for those experiencing homelessness and who have more complex needs. Housing for All will provide the basis for a long-term sustainable housing system for this and future generations."
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The Irish Planning Institute has thrown its support behind the new Housing for All Strategy, but still has a few reservations.
Dr Conor Norton, President of the Irish Planning Institute lauded the strategy as a "welcome shift in public policy towards the delivery of Housing for our citizens" but called on the government to examine land value sharing and the vacant property tax further.
"Effective land management is pivotal to the success of this new strategy and will have a huge impact on cost and viability for the delivery of housing," Dr Norton added. "Taxation measures, while important can be fleeting and measures introduced around land value need to be embedded and resilient to change. Further detail is necessary for Planners to understand how any value capture would be returned if lands were to be subsequently down-zoned as part of the Development Plan Making process."
Concluding his comments on the strategy, Dr Norton addressed the chronic under resourcing of Planning Authorities which must now be addressed if Housing for All is to deliver on its ambitions. "The Irish Planning Institute recently surveyed Local Authority Planning Departments and Private Sector Planning Consultants around the capacity within the system. 28 out of 29 Local Authorities who responded to our survey as well as every Planning Consultant in Private Practice sited the under resourcing of Planning Departments as the most significant barrier to the successful operation of the Planning System. We are calling on the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and Local Government Management Association to address this situation as a matter of extreme urgency."
