New Homes: Good news on the horizon for house hunters
State initiatives, such as the First Home Scheme (5,400 approvals, with interest up 40% in the first half of this year,) and Help to Buy (24,000 applications to July and 5,000 claims paid) are positive for supporting new homes.
The pipeline for increased home delivery is opening up: the evidence is palpable on the ground in Irish cities, with cranes on the skyline delivering apartments in the main, and with houses of various shapes and sizes popping up in villages, towns, cities and suburbs.
The are still dysfunctions in planning and delivery and infrastructure, but they are belatedly being addressed, with the National Planning Framework stretching out to 2040 and under review; the hopefully more streamlined replacement for An Bord Pleanala, An Coimisiún Pleanála, is close to delivery and extra investment in infrastructure is painfully inching its way through (though many bottlenecks still remain in the disconnect between Local Area Plans and services on and under the ground).
