Dublin

Housing for all – National housing plan for Ireland

Dublin City is experiencing a housing crisis. There is a shortage of quality affordable housing to meet the needs of the city’s growing population. According to a 2019 report by the Central Statistics Office it is predicted that the population of Dublin could increase by up to 31.9% by 2036. There is an urgent need for increased output in residential development by both public and private sectors. This needs to be done in a way that promotes environmental and social sustainability.

The new housing plan for Ireland “Housing for All” aims at countering the severe shortage of affordable housing. While the political pressure to foster home ownership over affordable rent is high, the social reality is very different and the program is therefore desperately needed. The ambitious strategy is based on an annual investment of over 4 billion euros until 2030 and will result in 300,000 new homes.

Making use of European Funding.
Housing estates are built on public land with low-interest financing from institutions like the European Investment Bank and the Council of Europe Development Bank in a multi-annual investment program. This example shows that EU funding can be a viable option for solving the question of how to finance housing.

Including medium income groups.
One focus of the program is on Cost Rental Homes that should be accessible for medium income groups who do not qualify for social housing. A new legislation legally defines this category for the first time. Tenants will pay a rent that only covers the costs of housing construction and maintenance. The goal is to build 18,000 cost rental homes until 2030.

Facts & Figures

Over €4 billion state investment in housing every year to 2026 to complement an estimated requirement for €10 billion private investment
Goal: 300,000 new housing units by 2030 (90,000 social rental; 36,000 affordable purchase; 18,000 cost rental; 170,000 private market)
Every local authority has a housing delivery action plan, outlining delivery of social/affordable housing for 2022–2026. This is scaling up new Cost Rental delivery, with a further 1,580 homes to be delivered in 2022
All new homes delivered by the State are Nearly Zero Energy Building Standard (NZEB) homes
Additional investment in critical infrastructure, including transport and communications services to enable the supply of new homes in the right places

Photos

Videos

This is Where We Live: Dublin’s Housing Future

Projects in the partner city

Margaret Kennedy Road Dublin 8

Margaret Kennedy Road and Court is the first project in the regeneration of the Saint Teresa’s Gardens public housing estate. This phase of the project delivers 54 new-build public homes and a streetscape that reconnects the site with its neighorhood.

Dolphin House Phase 1 is the first project in the regeneration of Dolphin House, Dublin city’s second largest public housing estate. Phase 1 delivers 100 public homes in a mix of renovated flat blocks and new-build around communal courtyards.