IHBA: State land should ease housing demand

SURPLUS State land and idle back gardens should be used to tackle the housing shortage in Dublin, the Irish Home Builders Association (IHBA) says.

To prevent the boundaries of Dublin spreading further into Leinster it wants surplus land owned by the State and the hundreds of acres of idle land in back gardens and laneways to be used to meet the demand for council housing.

“The time has come for a new planning initiative. Much of this land should be opened for well-planned developments. Higher densities of population lead to more efficient use of resources, particularly public services and utilities,” the IHBA said.