Housing plan 'to directly tackle the barriers to securing a home in Mayo'

A Mayo Oireachtas member has welcomed the publication of the government’s new housing plan for Ireland, Housing for All.

It aims to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade with an unprecedented investment of €4 billion each year.

The masterplan contains four pathways to a better future:

• To supporting home ownership and increasing affordability

• To eradicating homelessness, increasing social housing delivery and supporting social inclusion

• To increasing new housing supply

• To addressing vacancy and efficient use of existing stock

Commenting following the publication of the plan, Senator Lisa Chambers said: “The housing situation in Mayo has followed the same course as the rest of Ireland.

"We have limited supply and significant demand resulting in ever increasing rent prices and cost of purchasing a home.

"This has left many young people and families struggling to secure a home.

"This plan is focused on supply and affordability to directly tackle the barriers to securing a home in Mayo.

“If you’re a first time buyer or someone looking for a fresh start the Government’s ‘First Home’ Shared Equity Scheme, Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme and newly expanded Local Authority Home Loan Scheme will help you to step onto the property ladder.

“If you’re someone who is happy renting but want secure tenure without having to worry every time you hang a painting then the government are providing a whole suite of rent reforms including indefinite tenure and linking rent increases to general inflation as well as committing to providing 18,000 cost rental homes over the lifetime of the plan.

“If you’re within the social housing eligibility limits but have been years waiting on the social housing waiting list while oftentimes sharing cramped accommodation then you can take some comfort in the fact that government have today committed to significantly scaling up the provision of social housing. 90,000 social homes will be provided between now and 2030.

“I would really encourage the people of Mayo to have a read of Housing for All, and to see for themselves that the government have a plan to address the crisis. It won’t happen overnight but we are on the right path and we will do everything we can,” she concluded.

KEY OBJECTIONS OF 'HOUSING FOR ALL'

For First-Time Buyers

•The largest ever housing budget in the history of the State to transform our housing system, with over €15.5bn in funding through the Exchequer and LDA over the next five years.

•Supporting an unprecedented 4,000 Affordable Purchase homes on average every year for families, couples and single people

•A new Local Authority-led Affordable Purchase Scheme, targeting average prices of €250,000.

•A new ‘First Home’ Shared Equity Scheme for private developments.

•A reformed Local Authority Home Loan.

•An ‘Owner Occupier Guarantee’ in housing developments to secure homes exclusively for first-time buyers and other owner-occupiers.

•20% of all developments set aside for affordable and social housing.

For Renters

•An average of 2,000 new Cost Rental homes every year with rents targeted at least 25% below market level.

•Extended Rent Pressure Zones to 2024 and rents linked to the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices.

•New Short-Term Lettings regulation through a Fáilte Ireland registration system.

•Indefinite tenancies to strengthen security for renters.

•Minimum Building Energy Rating standards for private rental dwellings.

•Upfront deposit and rent payments capped at two months value.

For Low-Income Households

•Provide over 90,000 social homes by 2030, including an average annual new build component of over 9,500 units to 2026, the highest number in the history of the State.

•End long term leasing by Local Authorities and Approved Housing Bodies through phasing out new entrants and focus on new build to provide social housing homes

•Strengthened ‘Mortgage to Rent’ scheme, to ensure that it meets the needs of those in long-term mortgage arrears.

•Reformed Tenant Purchase Scheme.

•Revision and reform of income eligibility for social housing.

For People Experiencing Homelessness

•Work towards eradicating homelessness by 2030.

•Increased ‘Housing First’ targets to 1,200 tenancies over five years for homeless people.

•Establish a New National Homeless Action Committee.

•Expand Street Outreach Teams for rough sleepers nationwide.

•Individual Healthcare Plans.

For those Trading Up and Rightsizing

•Over 300,000 new homes by 2030.

For People Starting again

•A ’Fresh Start’ principle for applications to State affordable housing and loan schemes. People who are divorced and have no interest in the family home or who have undergone insolvency proceedings will be eligible to apply to those schemes.

For Communities

•Radical new modern ‘Kenny Report’ style powers to ensure sharing of the increase in land values from re-zoning decisions and greater community gain.

•Ending Strategic Housing Developments, returning planning decisions to Local Authorities and reforming the judicial review process.

•A new tax to activate vacant land for residential purposes

•An amended Fair Deal scheme to stop penalising sale and rental income.

For Towns and Cities

•A new Croí Cónaithe (Cities) Fund to increase owner-occupier apartment development in city centres.

•Increased funding capacity for the LDA for strategic development of public lands for affordable and social housing in city and town centres.

•Targeted funding via URDF and RRDF to support the Town Centre First approach, as part of the wider objectives for the regeneration of cities, towns and rural areas.

•Planning exemptions for ‘above shop’ conversions and guidance relating to protected structures.

•A nationwide Local Authority led Compulsory Purchase Order scheme to purchase vacant units.

For Rural Communities

•New County Development Plan guidance to ensure appropriate zoning and density levels.

•A new Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund to service sites in regional towns and villages.

•A new CPO programme to tackle vacancy in towns and villages

•New rural housing guidelines to give certainty for development of one-off homes.

For Construction Workers

•27,000 new construction jobs to meet required annual output levels.

•Stability and certainty in the building sector through a long-term funding pipeline.

•New apprenticeship opportunities and a targeted campaign at school leavers to build up capacity in the sector.

•A new Construction Technology Centre to drive innovation and productivity in the sector.