LAST UPDATE | 17 Feb

THE DELIVERY OF social and starter housing, progression of the short-term let laws and commencing a review of rent pressure zones is all to be prioritised, the Cabinet committee on housing agreed this evening.

The Taoiseach, Tánaiste and relevant ministers got around the table this afternoon to bash out ideas for the new “revised” Housing for All plan. 

The Cabinet sub committee on housing met to discuss proposed solutions to the housing crisis, but there have been some signals that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are at odds on some issues, such as tax breaks for developers. 

Last week, Tánaiste Simon Harris revealed that a revised Housing for All plan would be published by Government, with sources stating the new document will need time to be drafted.

This was reaffirmed this evening in a statement by the Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris, who said in a joint statement following the meeting:

“Housing delivery is the number one priority for this Government. The Government has set itself ambitious housing targets. This will require an updated Housing for All.”

However, in advance of that, ministers have now been asked to prioritise the delivery of utilities like water and electricity to service sites for housing development, the delivery of social and starter housing, the Short Term Letting and Tourism Bill, and commencing a review of rent pressure zones.

The government will also push on with the implementation of the Planning and Development Bill, linked to progress on exempted developments and the drafting of new Compulsory Purchase Order legislation. 

“The Cabinet committee also agreed to advance the establishment of the Strategic Housing Activation Office to unblock infrastructure delays. Staff from the main utility providers will be seconded full-time to the unit,” the joint statement added. 

As reported by The Journal over the weekend, the Cabinet Committee on Housing also agreed to proceed with the Revised National Planning Framework.

This includes allowing the Housing Minister James Browne to give directions on accelerating spatial planning.

At today’s meeting, there was also discussion on the Rural Wastewater Schemes to ensure that small and medium housing developments can take place across the country.

On the back of the meeting today, the government is set to sign off on a substantial increase in housing funding tomorrow.

The government has come in for criticism for floating the idea of removing the 2% cap on rents and for not providing tenants with more clarity. 

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Brownfield sites (land which has previously been developed or occupied) is also something the Taoiseach wants to see action on. 

He said this month that there has been a long-standing commitment to developing brownfield sites, for example, in cities, but he said it hasn’t happened at the pace he would have liked.

“That’s the bottom line. We’ve got to fundamentally look at all aspects of housing policy to get more construction, to get more houses built as fast as we possibly can,” he said.

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He added that there is a need to get a consistent pipeline, adding that brownfield sites are a problem in terms of getting construction going in sites in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford.

“So we will look at that. No decisions have been made as of yet, and obviously these are matters to be considered by government,” he added. 

Short-term lets

The Short-Term Letting and Tourism Bill, which was discussed today, is something the Taoiseach has said he wants to see progress on, though earlier this month he could not commit to a timeline.

The bill would introduce a register for short-term lets, which is expected to bring thousands of properties back to the market.

Under the current draft of the bill, properties advertised for short-term letting via online platforms, such as Airbnb, would be obliged to have a valid registration number with Fáilte Ireland.

Under the proposed laws, which have been mired by delays, landlords who use properties for short stays will have to register or face being fined up to €5,000.

Short-term letting websites could also face €5,000 fines if they do not remove adverts of properties that are not officially registered.