THE IRISH government is set to unveil its long-awaited National Housing Plan, a multi-billion-euro strategy aimed at tackling the country’s worsening housing crisis.
Minister for Housing James Browne briefed Cabinet this morning on the six-year plan, which targets the construction of 300,000 new homes by 2030.
The government says the strategy represents the most significant housing investment in the state’s history.
Central to the strategy is a €2.5bn funding injection for the Land Development Agency (LDA), bringing its total budget to €8.75bn.
The expanded LDA includes acquiring public and private land, hoping to deliver 14,000 homes by 2029.
The plan also pledges an annual average of 12,000 new social homes and 15,000 affordable housing units, alongside measures to bring 20,000 vacant or derelict properties back into use through refurbishment and expert advisory grants.
Local authorities will have greater powers to issue compulsory purchase orders to repurpose empty buildings.
Reducing child and family homelessness is a central aim.
Over €100m will be allocated next year to purchase second-hand homes for long-term residents of emergency accommodation.
In a move aimed at improving rental conditions, Minister Browne also intends to remove blanket “no pets” policies from rented accommodation.
Opposition parties have criticised the plan as insufficiently ambitious.
Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin said the proposal offers “more of the same failed policy”, calling for stronger rent protections, faster planning processes, and clear commitments to end long-term homelessness by 2030, according to RTÉ.
He also urged the government to do more to empower small and medium-sized developers to build affordable homes for working families.
The housing crisis has also begun to reshape Ireland’s economic landscape.
According to new research by S&W, 68% of Irish business owners say the housing shortage directly influences where they choose to locate offices, with many struggling to recruit international talent due to soaring rents and lack of accommodation.
Almost half of surveyed firms said they’ve had to offer higher salaries or housing allowances to attract workers, while 43% reported losing potential hires because of housing costs.
Seven in ten respondents said the shortage is now a major constraint on business expansion.
S&W Managing Partner John O’Callaghan described housing as a defining challenge for Ireland’s competitiveness: “Specific policy interventions, particularly around housing and infrastructure, are now essential to unlock the country’s full economic potential.”
While the government hopes the plan will encourage greater private sector participation, they still have to deal with rising homelessness, which reached a record high of over 16,600 people in September.