Cathal Crowe
Question:135. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he expects affordable housing to come on stream in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23206/23]
View answerThursday, 18 May 2023
Questions (135)
Written answers
Following the publication of Housing for All in September 2021, I asked all local authorities to prepare Housing Delivery Action Plans. Each local authority was asked to assess the level of housing demand with affordability constraint projected for their area based on the Housing Need and Demand Assessment Tool and plan their provision accordingly. A copy of Clare County Council’s Housing Delivery Action Plan is available at the following link:
www.clarecoco.ie/services/housing/publications/housing-delivery-action-plan-2022-2026-48501.pdf
Local authorities with the highest levels of affordable housing need were asked to prepare Affordable Delivery Plans as part of their overall Plans and were set five-year Affordable Delivery Targets. Clare does not have a specific target as average house price levels in the county are still well below the national median, but I understand there may be some localised affordability issues in certain areas which the local authority is currently examining.
Where there are localised challenges, funding can be made available to develop a scheme in line with Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) criteria. Circular 06/2023 issued to all Local Authorities on the 21 February 2023 providing full guidance on preparing an AHF application. Further assistance with developing schemes is available from my Department, The Housing Agency and the Housing Delivery Co-ordination Office within the Local Government Management Association.
In addition, the First Home Scheme, which was launched in July 2022, supports first-time buyers in purchasing new houses and apartments in the private market through the use of an equity share model. Full information on the scheme is available on the First Home Scheme dedicated website, www.firsthomescheme.ie. Statistical data on delivery across all affordable housing streams during 2022 as published on my Department's website last month shows that activity has begun to take place under this scheme for Clare and is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/#affordable-housing-delivery.
Finally, the new Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant is also available in Clare and it provides for grants for refurbishment of vacant properties of up to €50,000 or €70,000 if the property is derelict. I also announced last year, a new Ready to Build serviced sites scheme under the Fund where local authorities will provide sites at a discount to people who want to build their own home. Information on both of these scheme is available directly from Clare County Council.