There is a crisis of decreasing rates of home ownership in this country which this government has failed to address
The Housing Minister must confirm whether it is government policy that more than 80pc of residential development in Dublin City should be build-to-rent, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan.
“The proportion of build-to-rent residential schemes either applied for or granted in Dublin has increased from just 15% in 2018 to 82% in 2020. This is clearly not sustainable – and makes it almost impossible for buyers to purchase a new home in Dublin.
“In its development plan, Dublin City Council has attempted to put sensible restrictions on the level of build-to-rent development in the city but has been told by the planning regulator that those restrictions contravene national policy.
“The Minister must now confirm whether it is national policy for more than 80pc of new residential development in Dublin to be build-to-rent – which has lower standards than ‘build-to-sell’ schemes.
“There is a crisis of decreasing rates of home ownership in this country which this government has promised to address. How can anyone take this commitment seriously when ordinary workers and families are barred from buying the bulk of new residential development that is taking place in Dublin?
“The predominance of build-to-rent development, at the exclusion of other forms of high-quality development, means that an entire generation are being locked out of home ownership and locked into paying extortionate rents.
“Thanks to the refusal of this Minister to act, and curb the dominance of build-to-rent development, there is no hope on the horizon that this situation will improve.
“Instead of doing something to address the gross imbalance in the proportion of build-to-rent development in Dublin, the Minster is sitting idly by while this distortion becomes embedded into the city development plan for a further five years.
3 May, 2022
Ends