How to Solve the Housing Crisis

Another housing plan. Another set of promises. Another “urgent” response to a crisis that’s now shaped more than a decade of Irish life. Today, Government will unveil its latest plan to fix Ireland’s housing emergency. Titled ‘Delivering Homes, Building Communities,’ it’s expected to include around €100 million for long-term housing list families, new powers for the Land Development Agency, and tougher rules on derelict properties.

But with the cost of a two-bed apartment in Dublin now topping €550,000, and homelessness hitting record highs, will this one finally make a difference?

Joining Shane Beatty on today’s podcast are Seán O’Neill McPartlin, Director of Housing Policy at Progress Ireland — who’s published his own 25-point plan to deliver 300,000 homes — and architect Pat Barry, CEO of the Irish Green Building Council.

They discuss what real solutions look like:
– Cutting construction costs and planning red tape
– Balancing sustainability with speed
– Making better use of empty buildings
– Whether lowering building standards risks repeating old mistakes

They also present some big ideas, including local authority one-stop-shops across the country and integrating housing developments with major public infrastructure projects like Dublin’s new metro.

Ireland’s new president, Catherine Connolly, called housing “a fundamental human right.” But after a decade of failed strategies — from Rebuilding Ireland to Housing for All — can this latest plan finally deliver?

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