COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, June 13, 2022

QUESTION NO. 23

QUESTION: Councillor C. O'Connor

To ask the Chief Executive to detail plans to respond to the clear need for affordable housing in the County; will he confirm contacts he has had in the matter and make a statement?

REPLY:

The Council has been advised by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage of a target for delivery of a total of 1,133 affordable housing units for the period 2022-2026, commencing with delivery of 60 units in 2022.  This target is for delivery by the Council of affordable purchase and cost rental homes combined through development of its own lands as well as turnkey purchase of such units and delivery through Part V.  It is based on a housing needs demand analysis carried out by DHLGH and is exclusive of delivery of affordable housing by Approved Housing Bodies, the Land Development Agency and other national shared equity schemes.

Currently planned affordable housing delivery by the Council includes the following:

• 50 affordable purchase homes to be delivered on a phased basis from 2022 to 2024 in Kilcarbery through the development agreement with the private developer. (Sales of an initial 16 affordable purchase homes in Kilcarbery are currently being progressed with prospective purchasers selected following an online application process earlier this year.)
• 372 affordable purchase homes to be delivered between 2024 to 2026 in Killinarden under the terms of the land disposal approved by the Council.
• 133 Part 8 approved cost rental apartments at Belgard Square North following completion of stage two of the construction tender process.
• 60 affordable purchase homes in the Canal Extension development area of Clonburris SDZ (currently before the Council for approval as part of a proposed mixed tenure affordable and social housing development).
• Over 170 affordable purchase and cost rental homes in the Kishogue development area of Clonburris SDZ (currently subject of a public consultation process as part of a proposed mixed tenure affordable and social housing development).

The balance of the affordable homes to meet the delivery targets for the Council are envisaged to come from the following:

• Further development of mixed tenure developments on Council owned land within Clonburris SDZ and a further site in Kilcarbery.
• Affordable purchase turnkey/direct sales arrangements with private developers including through development of privately owned lands in Clonburris SDZ
• Potential inclusion of some affordable homes in a revised masterplan for Council-owned lands at Rathcoole
• Additional affordable housing through the extended provisions of Part V.

While the above delivery is projected to meet the cumulative five-year affordable housing target, the initial target of 60 affordable homes for South Dublin in 2022 is extremely unlikely to be achieved.  Thsi target was predicated at the start of the year on the potential for up to approximately 40 affordable homes becoming available through turnkey/direct sales arrangements with private developers to complement the scheduled delivery of affordable purchase homes in the Kilcarbery development.  Unfortunately, due to the heightened housing market tensions due variously to limited supply, inflationary challenges, supply chain issues, availability of labour etc., it is now extremely unlikely that those additional homes will be available this year as both national and local expressions of interest processes have failed to yield suitable proposals.

Beyond the Council-led plans for affordable housing delivery, supports and potential additional responses for households in the County with affordability constraints include:

• Approved Housing Body delivery of cost rental homes (with 74 such homes at Kilcarbery and a further 44 in Citywest scheduled for delivery in 2022)
• Potential delivery of affordable homes by the Land Development Agency on non-Council lands.
• The national Home Affordable Purchase Shared Equity Scheme where the State takes an equity stake in eligible new First-Time-Buyer homes which will be available in due course.
• The Local Authority Home Loan; and,
• The Help to Buy scheme.