Unfinished Housing Estates:
The Minister for Housing & Planning Jan O’Sullivan yesterday published a report on progress being made in tackling unfinished housing developments of which there are 2,066 around Ireland.
Significant progress is being achieved in addressing the serious problem of unfinished housing estates.
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On 211 estates work has been completed and issues are now resolved.
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In 523 estates plans are now in place and in many of these cases work has commenced and significant progress will be achieved over the coming months.
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Government funding to target the most serious public safety issues has seen more than €3m invested in 128 developments to ensure that families and neighbours aren’t exposed to safety risks.
http://www.environ.ie/en/DevelopmentHousing/Housing/UnfinishedHousingDevelopments/
Minister O’Sullivan said that there is now a real partnership in place between local authorities, residents, developers and funders and a common will to tackle this issue, which will take time to resolve completely. The Minister also said: “The National Co-ordination Committee on Unfinished Housing has met on eight occasions since its establishment in summer 2011 and…that I know for a fact that local authorities particularly have mobilised around this issue in a way that results in almost every unfinished housing development across the country seeing action under one and in most cases several of the various headings, such as site resolution, planning enforcement, public safety and environmental compliance.
The new priorities for the year ahead in dealing with this issue include:(1) Improved monitoring systems to ensure that the various enforcement and site resolution planning activities currently underway translate into practical impact on the ground;
(2) Ensuring vacant homes in suitable locations and in good condition are brought into beneficial use to meet the housing needs of the country;
(3) Identifying any residual developments or parts thereof that may not be capable of long term beneficial use and, in conjunction with their owners, funders and the relevant authorities, develop and implement proposals for these developments, including clearance where necessary;
(4) Further improve the data on unfinished housing developments throughout the country including an updated 2012 Housing Development Survey, for completion by Autumn 2012, which will incorporate a simplified categorisation of developments focusing on those portions of developments in a seriously problematic condition; and
(5) Finalising clearer standard guidance on matters such as development bonds, the phasing of developments and relevant matters to avoid a repeat of mistakes from the past as and when the housing development sector starts to recover and there are housing developments commencing into the future.
