Press release
Housing for All update - 25 January 2024
From Department of the Taoiseach
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of the Taoiseach
Published on
Last updated on
The number of new homes delivered last year was the highest in fifteen years, with 32,695 new homes completed in 2023, 10% higher than in 2022 and exceeding Housing for All’s 2023 target of 29,000 by almost 13%.
The announcement by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Tánaiste Micheál Martin, Minister Eamon Ryan and Minister Darragh O’Brien coincided as part of the latest quarterly update under Housing for All, with the Government Leaders pledging to continue the momentum in increasing new housing supply under the Plan.
It means the government has exceeded its Housing for All targets in the two full years since the Plan was launched. The pipeline is also strong with 32,800 new homes commencing construction in 2023, and permission granted for over 37,600 homes.
The figures show that initiatives to make homes more affordable like the First Home Scheme and Help to Buy are having a real impact. More than 30,500 First-Time Buyers were approved for a mortgage in the 12 months to November 2023.
Vacant and derelict homes are also coming back into use with just over 3,000 Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant applications approved last year.
Construction commenced on over 2,000 new homes on State Land sites in December 2023, including 219 new social and affordable homes at the former Devoy Barracks in Naas, more than 1,000 apartments at O’Devaney Gardens and over 850 new homes at Oscar Traynor Road.
The Land Development Agency announced the opening of applications for over 600 new Cost Rental apartments across four locations in Dublin and Kildare earlier this month. These new homes are being delivered through the Project Tosaigh initiative and rents are at least 25% lower than market rates.
The LDA has existing planning permission for over 5,000 affordable homes on State-owned or State-acquired land, with many projects already under construction and others at advanced planning stage.
Contracts for almost 600 new apartments have also now been signed under the Croí Cónaithe (Cities) Scheme with further proposals currently being reviewed by the Housing Agency.
The government is committed to building on the momentum and this year we will revise the National Planning Framework, including updating our housing targets, taking account of the latest evidence from the ESRI on population growth and household size.
The strategy will deliver fundamental reforms, increase capacity and promote innovation in the sector. All of this work will ensure we provide enough of the right types of homes in the right places, and bring about a step change in housing delivery to meet our needs into the future.
Commenting on the publication of the Q4 2023 Progress Report, the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said:
“The government wants everyone to have a secure home and to have the opportunity to become a homeowner. The CSO has confirmed that more new homes were built last year than any year since 2008 – that’s 15 years. We are now really stepping up home building each year, with a pipeline of well-built private, social, affordable and cost rental homes. We can see it on the ground, with new homes and apartments being built all over the country. We also see that dereliction is down and lots of student housing is being built. These are not included in today’s figures.
“We have gone from 5,000 new homes per year in 2012, my first full year in Government, to over 32,000 now - a six-fold increase. And under this government alone, we have seen a more than 50% increase. Five hundred first-time buyers are drawing down their mortgage each week – the highest level of first-time buyer activity since I was in my twenties. Our task now is to focus on implementation and take whatever action is necessary to maintain this positive momentum.”
The Tánaiste Micheál Martin said:
"These latest figures show that 32,695 new homes were built last year - an increase of 10% on 2022. That’s more than 100,000 new homes completed across the country since the beginning of this government.
"Momentum is strong, and momentum is building. We are going in the right direction when it comes to housing.
"In 2024, we will continue to build on this progress. With 32,800 new homes commenced last year, there is a strong pipeline for future delivery. This government is committed to creating a long-term sustainable housing system for this and future generations."
The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, said:
“This government understands that the most efficient home to deliver is one that already exists. As part of the government’s goal of to bring more homes back into productive use, we increased the grant for renovating a vacant property to a maximum of €50,000 and up to €70,000 if the property is derelict. The results are very positive. More than 3,000 Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant applications were approved last year. By agreeing to extend the Local Authority Home Loan later this year to cover the purchase of derelict properties, we are also providing a means for many eligible individuals and families to restore former homes to life. I am also really pleased to see the successful roll out of the Croí Conaithe (Cities) scheme, which makes it possible for people to buy and live in affordable apartments in our city centres.”
The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien added:
“Last year, we delivered a record 32,695 new homes and, indeed, more than 100,000 homes have now been built since 2020, the year the government took up office. Recent impressive commencement figures indicate that supply, which is key to addressing our housing needs, continues to increase and that a robust stock of new housing is in the pipeline.
“All the key housing indicators – commencements, completions and planning permissions – are trending upwards which bodes well for future supply. This performance proves that having a solid plan works. In fact, the recent Euroconstruct report demonstrated that Ireland is an outlier in Europe in the most positive sense of that word - while total construction activity across 19 European countries is expected to fall in 2024, Ireland’s construction activity is due to expand this year.”
‘Housing for All’ is the government’s housing plan for Ireland to 2030. It can be read at www.gov.ie/housingforall. The plan’s overall objective is: ‘Everyone in the State should have access to a home to purchase or rent at an affordable price, built to a high standard and in the right place, offering a high quality of life.’