Mr. Batt O’Keeffe, T.D., Minister for Housing, Urban Renewal
and Developing Areas, has announced the details of the main
elements of the 2008 National Housing Programme for the provision
of social, affordable, voluntary and co-operative and traveller-specific
accommodation to households experiencing housing need.
The Minister also released details of the Quarter 4, Housing
Statistics Bulletin - part of a quarterly series which track
progress by local authorities in the delivery of social and
affordable housing. In addition, the Bulletin includes statistics
on affordable housing output, house prices and lending activity
in 2007.
In his remarks, the Minister highlighted his commitment to
the delivery of better management and maintenance of local
authority estates and the need to re-invest in problem areas
through improvement works and regeneration programmes.
Referring to the recent media interest in the Limerick Regeneration,
Minister O’Keefe was pleased to announce an overall increase
of 28% in the capital allocation for regeneration programmes
across the country.
The 2008 Housing Allocations will fund the following programmes
-
|
€000 |
Local Authority Social Housing |
€1,016,000 |
Regeneration & Improvement Works |
€199,000 |
Voluntary & Co-operative Housing Supports |
€290,000 |
Traveller Accommodation & Support |
€40,000 |
Emphasising the strong performance of last year, which saw
the delivery of 9,469 social and 3,567 affordable housing
units, the Minister reflected that - “my Department, working
closely with the local authorities, is committed to maintaining
this high level of performance in the coming years to ensure
that we achieve the ambitious targets outlined in Towards
2016 and the current National Development Plan”.
While the numbers demonstrate strong performance in social
housing delivery, the Minister suggested that this does not
adequately describe the recent paradigm shift in the Department’s
social housing policy. Social housing - once synonymous with
sprawling estates on the edge of urban areas - he noted, has
been replaced with projects that seek to deliver sustainable
social and tenure mix within strong local communities.
The National Housing Policy - Delivering
Homes, Sustaining Communities - sets out as the key
objective for any social housing project, the need to have
regard to the physical, economic and social environment, in
building a sustainable community.
As the resources available for the delivery of the main local
authority social housing programme are set to break the one
billion euro mark this year, the Minister emphasised that
all allocations to local authorities were made on the basis
of housing need, to better deliver our social objectives and
to ensure maximum value for money for the public purse. The
latest statutory Housing Needs Assessment - which will
inform the allocation of resources into the future - is currently
underway, with a first report expected later this year.
In line with the National Housing Policy, the Department’s
housing programme has increased investment for regeneration
projects, improvement to the housing stock and environmental
works, with a 28% increase to the €121 million allocated for
the regeneration programme.
Focusing on the growing interest in the area of regeneration,
Minister O’Keefe said - “Our agenda for these projects is
the delivery of total physical, environmental, economic and
social regeneration. These projects go beyond a simple upgrading
of the housing stock and all activities are centred on the
delivery of sustainable communities over the long-term.”
While significant funding is again being made available to
the Ballymun Regeneration (€65 million), the 2008 programme
includes increased investment in the Limerick Regeneration
(€13 million), Sligo Borough Council’s Cranmore Regeneration
(€7.5 million) and to Knocknaheeny and the Glen in Cork (€15
million).
In referring to the need for on-going management and maintenance
of local authority estates, the Minister emphasised the importance
of strategic thinking by local authorities in determining
how best to use their internal capital receipts. Local authorities
have been delegated responsibility to use their own resources
from the sale of local authority housing, to ensure that planned
maintenance of social housing and improvement works to estates
are undertaken.
Local authorities continued to perform strongly in the delivery
of affordable housing to low-income households, with an 10%
increase to 3,539 units in 2007. Referring to the provision
of €74 million for affordable housing in 2008, the Minister
said - “the continued operation of the various affordable
housing schemes is vital to ensure that lower-income households
are in a position to purchase their own homes and, particularly
so, given current market conditions.”
The Minister also referred to the important role of the voluntary
and co-operative sector in responding to housing needs, which
delivered an unprecedented 2,200 new housing starts in 2007.
These projects are supported through generous capital funding
schemes from the Department, which provide up to 100% of the
approved cost of permanent accommodation for low-income families
and groups with special needs.
The Minister announced - “In response to this greatly increased
level of output, I am making available a record €290 million
for spending in 2008.” Within this provision there is
an allocation of €190 million under Capital Loan and Subsidy
Scheme, of which €160 million is expected to be used this
year. This scheme focuses on family-type accommodation with
units often being sourced through the Part V process. In addition,
grants of over €200 million have been approved under the Capital
Assistance Scheme for elderly and special needs housing, which
is expected to result in a draw-down in the region of €130
million in the current year.
The close links between the Department and the voluntary
and co-operative housing sector were again emphasised in the
Minister’s comments on the Rental Accommodation Scheme. This
scheme currently provides long-term rented accommodation to
some 11,000 households, with a further target of 5,000 households
to be accommodated in 2008.
The households provided for under this scheme are those with
an identified long-term housing need - mainly in the private
rented sector and in receipt of rent supplementation. The
scheme offers significant benefits to these individuals -
offering greater security of tenure, high quality accommodation
and the facility to return to work. €51 million has been provided
in 2008 to ensure the continued operation of the scheme and
to meet this ambitious target - representing an increase of
€24 million on the previous year.
The Minister announced the distribution of the overall allocation
of €40 million for the delivery of traveller-specific accommodation
in 2008 through group housing, halting sites and grants for
house or caravan purchases. He also highlighted - “the
significant investment by my Department in both time and resources
dedicated to meeting the particular housing needs of this
group in a sensitive and appropriate manner”.
To download - Quarter 4, Housing Statistics Bulletin - Click
Here
To download - Social Housing Allocations 2008 - Click
Here
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