Six year delay of Laois social houses blamed on Government 'red tape'

Homelessness is rising but it is still taking over six years to build some social houses in Laois, claims Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley.

The latest Social Housing Pipeline Report from the Department of Housing shows "once again that excessive red tape and bureaucracy is slowing down the delivery of much needed housing," he said.

He calls for a radical reform of the slow approval process.

“While there are a range of factors than can delay the delivery of social housing, the biggest factors are the cumbersome four stage approval process imposed on Local Authorities and Approved Housing Bodies by the Department of Housing. These processes can add up to two years or more to the delivery of social housing after planning has been granted and before construction commences.

“There are a number of examples of this in Laois. Laois County Council submitted a scheme of 12 houses at Clonrooske View for approval in August 2019. This is now only halfway through the approval process.

“A scheme of 26 houses in Stradbally submitted on the same date have an expected delivery date Quarter 2 2025," he said.

In December the Department of Housing published the Quarter 3 social housing pipeline report. The document details every single new build social housing project in the state funded by the Department.

“A comparison of the report with Q3 2022 shows that excessive red tape and bureaucracy is slowing down the delivery of much needed social housing. At a time when homelessness numbers continue to rise to unacceptable levels, this is totally unacceptable.

“The four-stage approval process and public spending code, both put in place after the Celtic Tiger are no longer fit for purpose. They are not only delaying much needed social homes, they are costing the taxpayer more money as construction sector inflation bites.

‘Sinn Féin has long called for radical reform of the way in which social housing is delivered. There is too much micromanagement of the development and design process by officials in the Department of Housing. Councils need to be given greater autonomy to progress projects that are within the Departments social housing price ceilings. I have raised this with successive housing Ministers going back as far as Eoghan Murphy.

‘Every single year since this Government has come into office their inadequate social and affordable housing targets have been missed. Excessive red tape and bureaucracy are the primary reason. It’s time to take the shackles off our Local Authorities and Approved Housing Bodies and let them deliver much needed public housing at pace. Until the Department of Housings four stage approval process and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reforms public spending code are radically reformed unacceptable delays will continue," Dep Stanley said.