Eoghan Murphy, Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government has invited submissions on the targeted review of the Government’s Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, following its first full year of implementation. 

Rebuilding Ireland was published on 19 July 2016 as the Government’s response to the biggest single challenge facing Ireland — the housing and homeless crisis – and comprises 113 actions, across five key Pillar Areas, as follows:

1. Address Homelessness
2. Accelerate Social Housing
3. Build More Homes
4. Improve the Rental Sector
5. Utilise Existing Housing

Minister Murphy said:- “As part of this focused review, we need to assess the impacts of the new investments, policies and initiatives and consider where we need to focus and redouble our efforts to address the supply and affordability issues that persist.  As part and parcel of this review, I would like to:

1. identify additional measures, particularly, new/additional supply side measures for social, private and rented accommodation,
2. identify further measures to tackle homelessness and to help individuals and families to remain living in their own homes;
3. deliver a vacant homes strategy that is ambitious and realistic and includes measures that can act as a disincentive to vacancy in future,
4. identify ways of reducing construction costs and improving the viability of apartment and house building,
5. look at new measures to support and/or encourage the rental sector,
6. consider options for elderly people wishing to downsize and to support less abled people to live independently in the community, and
7. identify ways of delivering sustainable mixed tenure solutions on sites of scale.

I am open to new ideas, big or small, on these or other issues that can increase housing supply at affordable prices.”

Further details and access to the consultation document is available on the Department’s website at http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/public-consultation-review-rebuilding-ireland

The consultation will run until Friday, 11 August 2017.