A body representing local authority managers will tell the Oireachtas Committee on Housing of the impediments that need addressing so councils can build more housing units.
The City and County Managers Association will outline the need for investment funding, coordinated servicing of land by state bodies and increased staffing.
Their position will be outlined in today’s session of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage which will explore challenges facing the delivery of housing in Ireland.
It is to hear that local authorities have delivered 24,000 social housing units since 2022, but that Government plans to increase this to 12,000 units per annum are “simply not feasible without urgent structural support.”
In his opening statement to the Committee, Chair of the City and County Managers Association Eddie Taffe is expected to say local authorities have identified over 560 land banks for more than 21,000 homes.
However, nearly 30% of the sites cannot proceed due to lack of adequate water, waste water and electricity services.
Mr Taffe will advise that Uisce Éireann and the ESB must work with local authorities to address this.
“Utility investment plans need to be fully aligned with local housing strategies. Uisce Éireann and the ESB must coordinate with local authorities to proactively service land in strategic growth areas.
Mr Taffe will say that infrastructure and utilities must be delivered in “tandem with housing to avoid bottlenecks and to unlock development-ready land and accelerate delivery timelines.”
The association’s chair is also expected to say that housing teams in local authorities are under severe strain as staffing levels have not kept pace with expanded responsibilities.
It is anticipated that Mr Taffe will reiterate that local authorities remain fully committed to delivering housing at scale. But acknowledge that “to turn ambition into reality, we need the resources, infrastructure, and systems to support that effort.”
Today’s committee meeting, chaired by Fine Gael TD for Longford Westmeath Micheál Carrigy, is the first session of any committee to hear from external witnesses since before the General Election.
