Affordable housing scheme to help struggling buyers

A new affordable housing scheme to help struggling buyers in cities and targeted areas will be unveiled by the Government in the coming weeks.

This will be the latest scheme to give discounts to qualifying owner-occupiers — the last one gave Dublin purchasers homes at 35% below market rates but was scrapped in 2011.

The Government is strongly modelling the new scheme on a small housing co-operative which has sold 49 homes in Ballymun, Dublin, where prices started at €140,000 for families.