02/08/2017

"Rapid-Build" Farce Must End – SD

The co-founder and joint-leader of the Social Democrats has labelled the government's talk of rapid build homes "farcical" and has asked for more commitment to housing.

Kildare TD Catherine Murphy highlighted that "only 22 out of 1,500 pledged modular units had been completed so far" under the rapid-build plan, and that it was time to "bite the bullet" and set up a housing body dedicated to driving and overseeing the faster delivery of new homes.

She said: "The Social Democrats want to see a new State Housing Delivery Agency that would have a hands-on approach and be able to contract builders and activate publicly-controlled land banks across different local authorities. This kind of dedicated agency could achieve economies of scale across housing development sites and that would bring down construction costs. It would also be able to retain know-how and institutional memory that is being lost at the moment."

Deputy Murphy added that last month the dedicated Housing Delivery Office in the Department Of Housing was found to have only four staff, a number she believes is "completely inadequate" for Ireland's housing needs: "As long as this is the case, house prices and rents will continue to rise and become ever more unaffordable."

(SF/MH)

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