Minister Browne announces new simplified and standardised process for delivery of social housing
- Published on: 1 July 2025
- Last updated on: 1 July 2025
Reforms to increase and speed up the delivery of new homes
Minister also publishes new data outlining social housing delivery by local authority area
The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne TD today announced that he would be introducing a single stage approval process for all social housing projects to increase – and speed up – the delivery of new homes.
This follows Cabinet approval today for this reform and a commitment in the Programme for Government to seek efficiencies by introducing a single stage approval process for all standardised social housing projects.
Furthermore, to ensure that social housing projects offer value for money, and to promote greater use of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), the Minister will also be mandating the use of specific design layouts and specifications, as per the Department of Housing’s published Design Manual for Quality Housing and the Employer’s Requirements for Detail Design of Quality Housing, for all new build social housing projects being developed by local authorities and approved housing bodies.
It is expected that these new arrangements will become operational in Q3 this year for any new project proposals being developed, subject to appropriate transitional arrangements being put in place.
Minister Browne emphasised:
“I am determined to use every opportunity that exists to accelerate the delivery of homes. Clearly, there is room for improvement in the delivery of social homes countrywide and today’s changes will provide a significant improvement in how Local Authorities and Approved Housing Bodies can go about this. We have listened to the issues that have been raised by local authorities, and we are ambitious in clearing the way, where possible, for progress at pace.
“At present, own-build new social housing projects are primarily advanced by local authorities under a four stage approval process – with only those projects with a maximum value of €8m and delivering a maximum of 25 units availing of a single stage approval. This existing mix of single and four stage approval arrangements will now be replaced therefore by a new single stage approval process for all projects – providing greater scope for increased and quicker delivery.
“The single stage process and the use of standardised design layout options and specifications will streamline delivery, and I expect to see a marked increase in own-build social housing delivery from local authorities in particular. It is of urgent importance.”
The expected benefits of today’s changes include:
- a standardised design approach in all new build social housing projects by local authorities and approved housing bodies;
- a streamlined approval process removing the requirement for additional detailed submissions for review and approval throughout the project lifecycle;
- a more efficient sign off on project proposals;
- greater levels of cost control by Local Authorities and Approved Housing Bodies leading to greater cost certainty for the Exchequer;
- benefit to industry with efficiencies in tendering, supply, and programming. i.e. a contractor or consultant developing designs or tendering for multiple housing projects across different local authorities will have a greater certainty of the brief and works requirements from the outset;
- facilitation of greater use of MMC in new build social housing projects in line with the PfG ambition.
Local Authority Social Housing Tables
Minister Browne today also published local authority new build social housing delivery and target statistics.
The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage publishes comprehensive programme-level statistics on a quarterly basis for social housing delivery including individual local authority’s social housing new-build delivery. To date, these publications have not included the corresponding targets for each local authority.
Minister Browne pointed out:
“In order to ensure transparency and accountability with the public, the Department will begin publishing the new-build social housing delivery achieved by all local authorities as set against their targets. This will highlight the success stories in those local authorities which are making positive contributions to meeting the housing challenge, while also identifying local authorities that may need a stronger focus in this area.”
The level of data published today provides a detailed breakdown of new build social housing delivery at local level over the last three years. The data includes each individual local authority’s total new-build delivery (via all delivery partners) against overall social housing new-build targets.
The data also provides details of each local authority’s progress in providing their own new build social homes against overall social housing new-build targets.
The published data can be accessed here.