New housing plan aims to deliver more than 300,000 homes by 2030

Housing minister James Browne says the Government’s new housing plan aims to drastically reduce child homelessness and boost nationwide housing delivery

The overall target for the plan is to deliver 303,000 new homes by the end of 2030, an average of 50,500 per year. Picture: Dan Linehan

The Government’s new housing plan, ‘Delivering Homes, Building Communities,’ will help reduce the number of children experiencing homelessness, the housing minister has said.

The overall target for the plan is to deliver 303,000 new homes by the end of 2030, an average of 50,500 per year.

James Browne said the country can reach a point where no child is homeless, but that it must happen “as quickly as possible.”

“It’s absolutely unacceptable for me for any child to be homeless. We know the numbers are going in the wrong direction, but I do think and believe that the changes we have been making in the last six, seven, eight months and the housing plan I’m announcing tomorrow, will get that going back in the opposite direction,” Mr Browne said.

“We can get to a position where no child is homeless.”

In September, there were 5,238 children living in emergency accommodation — the highest figure ever recorded in the State.

The plan is expected to be approved by Cabinet today before its formal launch in Dublin on Thursday.

It will be divided into two sections: one focused on activating land for housing, and the other on supports for people, including those in emergency accommodation and older adults.

It will also increase the annual social housing target by 1,800 to 12,000 units per year.

In total, 303,000 new homes are planned by the end of 2030.

The plan also proposes the construction of 90,000 starter homes over the next five years — or 18,000 annually.

The Land Development Agency (LDA) will receive an additional €2.5bn in funding, bringing its total allocation to €8.75bn.

The LDA will also have an expanded remit, allowing it to purchase private land and deliver private housing.

Mr Browne made the comments during an address at the launch of the Simon Communities of Ireland’s annual report.

Minister James Browne speaking to the media at Government Buildings in Dublin. Picture: Tuesday April 16, 2024.

Questioned about when the number of homeless children might begin to fall after the plan’s launch, Mr Browne declined to give a specific timeline.

“I’ve always said I’m very much results driven. Housing is a very dynamic situation,” he said.

He cited covid-19 and the war in Ukraine as factors that have stalled housing delivery.

“The focus very much is getting those homeless numbers down, in particular a focus on family and children.

Mr Browne said the priority would be to remove children from housing lists as quickly as possible while preventing others from entering homelessness.

“The plan, combined with all the decisions that we have made over the last eight months, will move the dial and will move it significantly,” he added.

The housing minister also pointed to regulations introduced across the State that have impeded housing delivery, saying many were introduced “in isolation” without considering their combined impact on construction.

“I’ve come across several incidences where maybe two different agencies have absolutely really good priorities, but may be coming into conflict with each other,” Mr Browne said.

He highlighted tensions between Uisce Éireann and the Environmental Protection Agency, with one focused on water connections and the other on protecting the environment and water quality.

“Two absolutely crucial elements, but not always aligned,” he added.

Mr Browne said he wanted to see environmental assessments carried out “in parallel” rather than requiring separate approvals one at a time.

The minister added that over the past eight months, the Government had removed barriers at a national level, but was now facing challenges that could only be addressed at the EU level.

He cited state aid rules, which limit how much funding the Government can provide to Approved Housing Bodies.

Meanwhile, Taoiseach Micheál Martin described the new plan as “the most unprecedented investment in housing ever.”

Mr Martin said reaching those targets would be “challenging” but essential due to population growth, the need to help young people buy and rent homes, and to address homelessness.