Sir, – The 3.26 acres of land with planning permission for 40 homes in Dublin 15 and guiding at €3 million for the site equates to €75,000 per dwelling before a single foundation trench is dug.
Granted, some money was spent in preparing the planning permission application, but for contrast, 3.26 acres of farming land would sell for about €45,000.
A massive difference.
Speculation in land, especially rezoned land, which is still the exact same land after rezoning, is one of the reasons house prices are so high and now unaffordable to many without a massive taxpayer subsidy.
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If Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil were serious about making housing affordable, they would deal immediately with this glaringly obvious problem of vastly overpriced building land by reforming the rezoning system.
Another political party is probably hoping they don’t do so before the next election. – Yours, etc,
DAVID DORAN,
Bagenalstown,
Co Carlow.