Conference hears how coronavirus will change housing and building policies

The Construction Industry Federation (CIF) annual conference heard that 27% of houses built in Ireland last year were social housing units. File Photo

The increased number of people working from home due to Covid-19 will impact future housing and building policy the Construction Industry Federation's annual conference has heard.

Industry leaders gathered for the event yesterday which took place virtually due to the pandemic restrictions.

One of the panel events examined how the ‘Covid-19 crisis will accelerate change in Ireland’s construction industry and built environment’.

Stephen McCarthy, Managing Director, Astra Construction Services Ltd in Carrigaline, Co Cork said that with people working from home they now needed more space and were looking at alternative living space from both a quality of life and cost of living perspective.

“If you compare what people get for €300,000 in a city to what they can get in the country for the same amount there is no comparison," he said. "There is a change now with regard to living space and the necessary social infrastructure around it and this will be an important factor with regard to planning policy in the future.

The discussion also examined how the pandemic will reshape property demands and whether or not it will be the driver for new approaches to building in a post-coronavirus world.

Developer Stephen McCarthy said that with people working from home they now needed more space and were looking at alternative living space. File Photo. 

“40% of buyers in Ireland are foreign nationals and last year 27% of the houses that were built in Ireland were social housing units,” Mr McCarthy said. “While the social housing market is being addressed, the private housing market is in trouble.

“There is only a small cohort of buyers that can afford to buy a house in the private market at the moment and that is a real challenge for the industry.

Opening the conference yesterday the Taoiseach Micheal Martin pointed to the “remarkable changes” Covid-19 has brought to Irish society and the economy, and the “tough year” that businesses and the construction industry have had as a result.

“The construction industry is an integral part of the Irish economy and our society; the provision of quality, sustainable housing, commercial buildings and infrastructure make Irish towns and cities desirable places in which to live and work,” he added.

“A robust construction sector is fundamental to getting the Irish economy back on track and creating more sustainable communities.” 

The Taoiseach said a National Economic Plan will be published in November which will set Ireland’s “longer-term priorities and objectives to move us towards a resilient, balanced, sustainable economy”.

“To ensure continued momentum of public infrastructure delivery, we have committed an extra €500m of capital expenditure as part of the July Stimulus Package and Budget 2021 will prioritise delivering the increased resources for capital investment set out in the NDP.

“We will spend more than €9bn in public capital investment next year and public investment in construction in Ireland in 2020 and 2021 will be among the highest per capita in the EU.” 

The Taoiseach went on to commend CIF on its plan for a “dynamic and sustainable” sector for the future.