'Use it or lose it' clause needed to deliver homes

The figures from the Department of Housing suggest it's time for a 'use it or lose it' clause to be included when planning permission is granted. It beggars belief that in the midst of a national housing crisis, which is particularly acute in the capital, that so few homes are being delivered. In the first 10 months of last year, just under 11,800 homes were built nationally. This figure is unlikely to exceed 15,000 when the final tallies are complete, at a time when a minimum of 25,000 are needed. But while some developers have suggested the planning system is to blame for the lack of new homes coming onto the market, the official Government figures from the Department of Housing suggest there are more profound problems. There is no planning reason why 23,746 units across 331 sites in the capital are not being built to help address rising prices, inflating rents and bringing the homeless crisis to an end. Sources suggest a lack of finance and the imposition of development levies and high building costs, particularly the imposition of VAT on new homes, is hampering delivery. This is a problem particularly prevalent in construction of apartments.

Paul Melia, Irish Independent