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COUNCILS WILL BE able to transfer state lands to the Land Development Agency without a vote from councillors under a new Bill aimed at “clearing blockages” and “driving on development” of house construction.
The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien today published the Land Development Agency Bill which puts the State agency- tasked to fully utilise state lands to build affordable homes – on a statutory basis.
The LDA was established as a State agency in September 2018 with an aim to build 150,000 new homes over the next 20 years.
Today, O’Brien said he will be able to specify the affordability requirement for the delivery of affordable homes for sale or rent on public lands.
This affordability requirement can be varied on sites in different areas depending on local housing needs, he said.
It will provide services to local authorities for the development of large scale multi-tenure sites for housing in urban centres over 30,000, and will assist with the construction of increased social housing on local authority owned sites, said the minister.
The agency was first launched to much fanfare by the then Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and then Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy.
At the time, Varadkar said the new agency “will have teeth” and “will hit the ground running”, stating that having a strategic plan in place for housing will end the “boom-bust cycles” of the past and ensure there is a long-term plan in housing delivery.
He added that the new agency will be viewed in the future to be just as pivotal as the establishment of the ESB and the IDA.
O’Brien said today that the new agency will be key to driving up housing delivery.
“Local Authorities can transfer lands to the LDA without requiring a council vote, accelerating the process, clearing blockages and driving on development.
“Ultimately, through this Bill, the LDA will be empowered to provide homes for affordable purchase, cost rental and social housing – another step in the Government’s direction of ‘Housing for All’,” he concluded.
Sinn Féin’s housing spokesperson has criticised the Bill stating that it undermines local democracy and forces councils to use public land for “unaffordable private housing”.
He also said there is a meaningless definition of what is deemed “affordable”.
In 2018, Murphy came in for criticism when he said government policy classes affordable as individuals earning up to €50,000 or a couple earning up to €75,000.
“And then when we talk about house prices we talk about €320,000 generally in the Greater Dublin area, Cork and Galway and €250,000 in other parts of the country. So we will be working towards those sort of affordability requirements that already exist as part of government policy,” said Murphy.
However, since then, the general scheme of the Bill was subsequently revised in October 2020 in accordance with the priorities for the LDA in the new Programme for Government, with the minister stating now he will be able to specify the affordability requirement.
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Great plan. More houses needed. Leave it to the professionals and not the NIMBYs.
@james.mac: agreed 100%
@james.mac: Sorry but this is just a mechanism for government to grab public land and pass it on to developers who will add a few “affordable houses” to the development. If they built houses at the same rate as in the 60′s and 70′s there wouldn’t be a housing crisis nor would houses cost the crazy prices they are now. This whole housing senario is driven by greedy developers and their pals in government. And no, I’m neither a shinner or a lefty.
@james.mac: shambolic plan to fill the pockets of developers.
@james.mac: agreed. And it will stop the shinners and the looney left from blocking social housing development
@John Mulligan:
@John Mulligan: You mean like this one?
https://extra.ie/2019/12/09/business/property/objection-housing-development-taoiseach
Oh sorry I thought that was the looney left not greedy right who w’ve been bailing out for years now
@John Mulligan: Yeah just imagine Varadkar and Murphy the saviours of Irish social housing. Have a think about that for a minute. Then slap yourself for being so naive.
@james.mac: nimby is not a bad term. You may not care about what goes into your environment, village or whatever – but many do.
A bit of pride is needed again in our towns.
This going to be a very costly mistake. Tax payer will be ripped off. Giving leverage to developers to dictate the terms. Absolute madness.
This plan cannot and should not be allowed to proceed
This plan is purely going to benefit developers. Developers will get public land for free. Councils should be funded to allow them to develop the sites themselves.
@Seán O’Loughlin: could the land not stay in the ownership of the state and houses built under contract (like roads)?
@Thomas O’ Donnell: That is how it used to be done.
@Seán O’Loughlin: they couldn’t manage a water system when they had it
@Patrick O Connell: Fair enough, so let the Land Development Agency retain the land and develop the sites themselves, the properties should remain in state ownership. State Land should not be given away for free to benefit private developers.
Friends of friends and brown envelopes.
“O’Brien said today that the new agency will be key to driving up housing delivery”……..
I think what O’ Brien really meant to say was “the new agency will be key to driving up house prices”
@Gazza Lazza: more houses means taking the heat out of the market. Not enough houses means higher prices. Basic economics.
@John Mulligan: there are thousands of empty homes and apartments in Ireland which help to increase demand and drive up prices. Step one: find and eliminate all abandoned and unused spaces.
Who are the land development agency who appointed the staff, and what qualifications and experience or track record do they have to handle such large scale property speculation and developments?
Section 15,
(6) The Minister shall, in appointing the directors of the Board, ensure that among those directors there are persons who in the opinion of the Minister have satisfactory experience, competence or qualifications in relation to construction, delivery of housing, which may include delivery of social and affordable housing, finance, and corporate governance.
(7) The Minister shall, in so far as is practicable, endeavour to ensure that among the directors of the Board there is an equitable balance between men and women.
Flat out bypassing local democracy. That’s outrageous!
Developers paradise. Most of these lads declared bankruptcy whilst hiding their assets and getting away scot free. Typical ff/FG move. Banana Republic
@Emmett Currie: But, but, but it’s all the looney left/Sinn Feins fault isn’t it?
SF objecting to a housing bill, surprise surprise. Even their own spokesperson for housing objected to social housing in his constituency
@Patrick O Connell: Sorry for repeating myself here but.
Yeah just imagine Varadkar and Murphy the saviours of Irish social housing. Have a think about that for a minute. Then slap yourself for being so naive.
Ah sure I may as well repeat myself so…
https://extra.ie/2019/12/09/business/property/objection-housing-development-taoiseach
@Fr. Fintan Stack: When it’s worth repeating why not.
And that’s worth repeating, and copying.
Disaster, business as usual..
The price for the houses/apartments will have to be much lower then usual as the biggest part of the high Dublin prices is the cost of land. As the developer will get the land free, the cost of buying one of these units should be similar to the cost of same in say Leitrim. If the cost of these units are average Dublin costs who pockets the huge profits?
@John Hagin Meade: Don’t hold your breath. This will be like manna from heaven for the developers. I’m sure they’ll work something out with FFG to keep the prices artificially high.
It is to be hoped that as Minister he will be recommending the untouched area of his own Malahide for a large proportion of this development and leaves the usual suspects such as overbuilt and overpopulated Balbriggan and Swords alone.
After throwin shapes about social housing, he’s finally revealed his true FF nature
Great maybe some of the corruption gone we’ll see proper results
Has anyone, asked themselves why oh why are Govt taoiseach and minister making such unpopular and, controversial decisions in all areas, of policy. It surely isn’t for vote.
EU commission influence of govt policy under esm treaty and the term of the bail out loan thy EU ratified by GOVT and(taoiseach and ministers) but not be Dail on face of act charging us, with membership cost of this financial inst that can acquire the Bailout loan with austerity terms that we keep bank capped to EU standards.
sue, bank ate nationalised under the term it fir benefit if efsf and esm under loan terms esm acquires under that treaty. Has to be some other furcr it ain’t for votes is it.
That not how, politicians work.
@Mary Ward: sinn fein in govt will have same hurdles with commission NOT approved by DAIL.
That ignored taoiseach decision to borrow, 2.5 billion from esm to fund lockdowns when 500 million allocated to health in CONSTITUTIONAL BUDGET unspent VERSUS S67 of the Credit institutions financial stabilisation act charging min for finance not to allow local authorities charge their assets in breach of loan terms that can v acquired by esm under treaty.
All party leaders made, promises in election debates to deliver program fir govt if in government I. E taoiseach or ministers in elections to DAIL with no hand act or part in budget under s 67.
Moderators failed to party leaders that such promises totally inappropriate in election to DAIL but promises party can deliver if Dail majority.
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