Surveying short-term thinking in Irish housing crisis: new title brings politics to book
New plan, same old problems. Housing, Local Government and Heritage James Browne TD at the launch of last week's new action plan on housing and homelessness. Photo: Sam Boal/Collins Photos
GIVEN this is the month in which the Government we elected back in November 2024 finally publishes its long-awaited and latest in a long line housing plan, the launch of an expert ‘insider eye’ book taking a very long-term look on the deeply emotive issue of housing this side of Christmas is timely .... to say the least.
How long-term is the look here?
Well, Frank Ryan’s 'The Cork House Story' starts its thread in the famine era of 1840: then, picking through five significant historic shifts in how we view housing and homes, it ends up with a quite damning, and cogently argued, critique of political responses to the macro housing picture.
We start with the proviso “the first lesson in new housing supplies is that it is slow.” Short-termism and blinkered or ideological framing has consequences, we learn.
Ryan picks up how slow outcomes can be of policy shifts, from his historical span and studies: he instances how the Rent Restrictions Act of 1915 wasn’t repealed until 1980, having a destructive impact on urban landlords. Or, how the effective ending by 1990 of delivery of successful social housing from DeValera’s time in the 1930s and open market reliance contributed so much to the 2000s housing crisis, some 25 years later, and ongoing today.
The former (1915 Act) which resulted in urban decay “is a good example of political lethargy, a form of reverse leadership. Political lethargy leaves no record,” Ryan writes while the laissez faire attitude to abandon social housing provision from the ‘90s chimed with home ownership ideology of Thatcher’s UK or Ronald Reagan’s USA), fuelled the Celtic Tiger, and contributed to the current widely acknowledged, but seemingly intractable housing crisis.
Importantly, Frank Ryan lifts lessons from history through the lenses not only of his very long career as a highly regarded chartered surveyor (in the UK, Dublin and more latterly, Cork, and often addressing many housing conferences as an expert insider view) but also as a thoughtful student of history.
As his 50 year property career progressed he added a wider academic view via a Masters degree from UCC in Housing Policy, in post-grad studies in the Department of Government and Public Policy, and as an author, inc of the 2019 book 'Lessons in Irish Housing' (Oak Tree Press).
Sadly , lessons rarely get learned, mistakes - as we know - get repeated.
In 'The Cork House Story' Frank Ryan’s long historical/academic view allies to an understanding of how systems, construction, and markets work (or, don’t work) over time: it’s a hybrid informed view and one that singles out how important provision of housing output across three sectors is, and will have to be
1: Social provision/rental
2. Private rental, and,
3. Private ownership.
All three need to be in an approximate balance, without the three necessary strands competing with one another to drive up land values and/or house prices, and location specific in the main.
Suburban houses for the sales market, and apartment blocks for urban locations for both market and affordable rentals, Ryan summarizes.
Picking up ideological threads from the three main political parties’ published policy documents (Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil backing home ownership/pathways to home ownership) and Sinn Féin ‘delivering the biggest council-led house programme’) he sadly notes “none of the parties show any commitment towards, or knowledge of, the housing ideal of a balanced outcome."
Stressing the 25-year+ time spans necessary for effective policy delivery, we read “politics is an inherent risk to a balance housing outcome….short-term optics and false perceptions that suit ‘political stagecraft' can be counterproductive and destructive to a housing system with a 25 year stable policy horizon.”
Between the poles of private ownership, and local authority supply, lies the still poor relation and third leg of supply, private rental and our historical antipathy to landlordism.
“In Ireland, politics is the greatest risk and has been the greatest distraction from measured policy supply,” says the ever-measured professional surveyor in this thoughtful, long-view consideration.
Those who know author (and now semi-retired valuer) Frank Ryan from his courteous professional career, insights and regular market presentations, they – and others - will respect his delving into history from lessons learned and worth appreciating from the post-Famine period, from Land War dividends, from the rise of social housing and ‘the suburban dream’ and on to middle class home ownership aspirations.
However, they might be surprised at the teeth Frank Ryan bares in his final book chapter ‘Housing Today?’
He admits: “The tone has been stark and deliberate, rather than academic in character,. It reflects the anger felt by the author at the continuing chronic housing crisis.’
How angry?
“As we await the new housing supply to address the housing deficit, Irish society will witness the evidence of homelessness, profound family stress, overcrowding and price increases. This will impact mostly lower-income families."
“As housing is an emotive subject, the media and politics will feast on the housing carrion to mould new and exaggerated perceptions that inflame the populous. This is your housing crisis.” …..
Want to learn lessons from housing history over a two century span? Try the build from housing history to housing heartache in 'The Cork House Story' by Frank P Ryan.
Carrigdubh Press, €18, 160 pages, inc extensive bibliography Email; frankryan2600@gmail.com
Launch Nov 18 12.45 Wilton Parish Centre, also with a larger South Mall launch at Republic of Work/12 South Mall December 2 at12.45pm where copies purchased as timely corporate, personal and politically-attuned Christmas gifts should find their own home.
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