Record number of home completions for first quarter of the year, says Minister for Housing

Almost 6,800 homes were completed in the first three months of 2023, the highest first-quarterly figures since records began.

The Central Statistics Office published the latest home completion figures on Thursday which show an almost 20 per cent increase on the same quarter in 2020-2022.

Of the 6,716 new completions, 3,092 were scheme dwellings (up 10 per cent from the same period last year) and there were 1,197 single dwellings, up 7.7 per cent from the first quarter of 2022.

Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien said Government was now “really upbeat” about its Housing for All policy and the latest figures reflected what was a “good start to the year”.

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“We exceeded our target last year. I want to exceed it this year. Again, we want more affordable, more social houses, more cost-rental housing. I want to ramp that up further.”

Mr O’Brien was speaking at the launch of a scheme of 52 social housing apartments in Bluebell, Dublin and a neighbouring scheme of 153 homes on the Long Mile Road. Both have been developed by the approved housing body, Respond.

Mr O’Brien said schemes like this showed that the construction sector was active. He said the target for 2023 was for 29,000 new homes to be completed in the State, and he was confident that target would be exceeded. He said 37,000 homes were at various different stages of construction right now.

The Minister said the new €1 billion plus incentive announced this week by Government would facilitate continuing upward momentum in house and apartment construction. The incentive has scrapped development levies for individual homes, has increased the grants to revive vacant and derelict homes, and has committed €750 million to bring 4,000-6,000 cost-rental homes to the market. Chief executive of Respond, Declan Dunne, said the agency had 1,433 homes in construction as of now and expected to begin work on another 3,000 home in the next three months, of which 1,300 would be cost-rental.

“We greatly welcome this initiative in support of the viability of what we’re doing. We needed this [incentive] to progress. That’s a big step up. It will mean that we will have 4,500 homes in construction at the one time,” said Mr Dunne.

A number of local authority members also attended the launch. Lord Mayor of Dublin Caroline Conroy, of the Green Party, said: “Having somewhere to call home is so important for each and every one of us. Everyone knows the difficulties we have in our society at the minute with regard to housing. A home isn’t just a pile of bricks. I would like to congratulate Dublin City Council and Respond for making today possible.”

Labour councillor Alison Gilliland said housing partnerships such as this one with Respond were very important to Dublin City Council’s capacity to deliver much-needed housing across the city. “This beautifully designed and built development will provide 52 long-term secure homes and those living in them will not only build their own community but will also contribute to the richness of the wider local Bluebell community,” she said.

Niamh Randall of Respond said more than 80 per cent of the organisation’s delivery was in newly constructed homes. “Over the last 40-plus years, we have amassed considerable experience in managing the construction process and our in-house design team has wide-ranging expertise in all aspects of housing delivery. We remain committed to playing our part building social and cost-rental homes throughout the country, and providing services for families and individuals who need them,” said Ms Randall.