Record breaking Laois house building is 'life changing'

A record 742 new home commencements in first four months of 2024 in Laois with nearly 80% of building work starting in April.

That's according to the latest set of figure from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage which revealed that construction started on record 576 new homes in April in Laois. This follows the issuing of 51 commencement notices during the month which confirms that most of the work is happening on sites where multiple homes are being built.

One of the biggest sites under construction is the Sophia Housing project in Portlaoise on the former Parish and Presentation Convent property. It is being developed with the help of Laois County Council.

The Department says the data also shows that there has an increase on the same period in 2023 (135 homes) and a record for the period since the data series began in 2015.

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien, who visited Laois recently, reflected on the figures. More below picture.

Pictured: Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Mr Darragh O’Brien at the opening of 44 homes at Harpurs Crescent, Harpurs Lane, Portlaoise in April 2024.

“We have never before seen new home starts at this level and April’s numbers for Laois are hugely impressive. Indeed, so far in 2024, on average nationally, we have witnessed construction begin on approximately 350 new homes every working day. It is quite clear that the development levy waiver and Uisce Éireann connection charge rebate, which were introduced last year, have helped to fast track greater activity and have made many more projects viable and I was happy to recently receive Cabinet approval to extend both of these.

“While these numbers in Laois are record breaking, they will also be life-changing for the many new residents who will benefit from these projects when they are complete. An important element of the continuation of the waiver was the condition that the homes be completed by the end of 2026. Our interventions are starting to make a significant difference and we will continue to use every tool available to us to build on this momentum,” he said.

Nationally, to date in 2024 (January to April), 30,138 new homes have begun construction – up 204% on the same four-month period of 2023. This figure for these four months of 2024 represents 92% of the total (32,801) for the whole of 2023.

The full commencement data set can be accessed at: Construction Activity Statistic