House completion figures fell by a third last year
Figures published by the Minister for Housing, Urban Renewal and Developing Areas, Michael Finneran, showed that 51,724 houses and apartments were completed last year, down 26,303 units compared with 2007.
The plummeting rate of house completions affected both urban and rural areas alike, with Limerick City Council the only local authority area to have an increase in house completions in 2008 compared with the previous year.
The single greatest percentage drop was suffered by Longford, with a 63% fall in house completions in that county. However, the situation was more marked in areas such as Fingal, Laois and south Dublin, which have played host to much of the building boom in recent years.
House completions fell by more than half in Fingal, from 4,725 in 2007 to 2,149 last year, while Laois had a drop of almost 47% and south Dublin a fall of more than 46%.
Overall, the number of houses and apartments completed in Dublin fell by 36% and in the greater Dublin area by almost 35%, figures which exceeded those of other major urban areas.
House completions in Cork city fell by 17% last year, and by almost 32% in the county area. Limerick county had a fall of more than 35%, slightly more than the percentage decrease in Waterford city. House completions in Galway county fell by almost 40% and fell by more than 25% in the city.
The figures also show that across the country, 41% of units completed were scheme houses, with another 33% individual houses and the remaining percentage made up of apartments. In Dublin, however, two-thirds of all units completed last year were apartments.
Mr Finneran said the focus was on housing for those most in need.
“While there is an easing off in housing activity and recognising the difficulties currently facing the public finances, the Government is committed to focus on quality in the provision of housing and to addressing the housing needs of the less well-off in our society,” he said.
Some charitable agencies such as Focus Ireland have criticised the Government for failing to stress the need for more social and affordable housing, while another issue facing local authorities is money owed to them on outstanding development levies.
Wexford County Council is owed e22m in development and planning levies, while Louth County Council has e5.8m outstanding.
