Sinn Féin claims plan for Land Development Agency has 'fundamental problems'

Sinn Féin's Eoin Ó Broin says current plan 'fails to prioritise social and genuinely affordable homes'.
Picture: PA

The revised plan for the Land Development Agency has "fundamental problems", Sinn Féin's housing spokesman has claimed.

Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien last week published an updated General Scheme of the LDA Bill, an update on the scheme published last year. Mr O'Brien says the Bill will "ensure that there is a statutory obligation to deliver affordable housing on State land".

He added that the agency will deliver 4,000 homes on state lands in the coming years.

“The LDA has an immediate focus on managing the State’s own lands to develop new homes, and regenerate under-utilised sites," the minister said. "It is currently working on nine initial sites, including their flagship partnership with Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council which will see 597 homes delivered in Shanganagh. It is expected that 4,000 homes will be delivered across their other sites with a pipeline of further sites being developed."

Key concerns remain

However, Sinn Féin's Eoin Ó Broin, who on Wednesday launched a comparison of the two schemes, said the key concerns flagged in the 2019 scheme remain.

He said the LDA as proposed comes without significant land management abilities or significant powers to compulsorily purchase land. He also said that the current plan "fails to prioritise social and genuinely affordable homes".

"The legal structure of the LDA has been changed significantly. It has multiple references to affordable housing. It also includes references to climate resistant, low carbon homes.
"Sinn Féin is still of the view that Government should create an active Land Management Agency with strong compulsory purchase order powers and a significant budget for the acquisition of public and private lands to strategically manage public lands.

"We do not accept the need for a new state agency for public housing delivery. Rather we remain convinced that resourcing Local Authorities to drive ambitious regional public housing programmes to meet social and affordable need would be more democratic, efficient and cost effective."