Landowners struggling to develop their residentially zoned sites in Dublin, with or without planning permission, are being sought by Dublin City Council (DCC) to provide large-scale social housing schemes.
The council has identified 113 “inactive” development sites in the city with planning permission granted but no construction started. These sites had the potential to provide 13,000 homes.
However, it said it will also “seek out” landowners who have not secured planning permission for zoned lands that could accommodate at least 100 social homes.
The Government’s new housing plan, entitled Delivering Homes, Building Communities and published last November, set a target of delivering 72,000 social homes and 90,000 affordable homes Statewide by 2030. The council said notification from the Department of Housing of its specific targets “is imminent”.
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The council’s current projections for delivery of housing on its lands is for 7,777 homes to be completed by 2030, more than half of which will be social housing, 35 per cent cost-rental, just over 10 per cent affordable housing, and three per cent private housing.
In a report to be presented to councillors next week, the council said it is proposing a “new delivery stream” for social housing “which we are referring to as ... a call for large-scale housing developments”.
To increase supply, the council, starting this month, intends to “seek out those landowners and developers that would be prepared to partner with DCC on their land to deliver the type of social and affordable housing that we want in terms of design, standards, price and timeline for delivery”.
It will seek developers with existing planning permission, and landowners willing to secure planning permission who would build homes “in line with our requirements and agreed price”.
The council is seeking a “minimum of 100 social housing units to be provided” and larger schemes “should ideally include at least one additional tenure”, which could be cost rental, affordable purchase, or private housing. A “higher scoring will be awarded to schemes delivering the strongest tenure mix” and “the more tenures included the better to secure a greater diversity” it said.
Schemes should be delivered on a single site, but “multiple sites from one tenderer may be considered if they collectively meet the minimum criteria”. Three-bedroom social homes should be included as part of any development. The cost rental element may be delivery directly or in partnership with an approved housing body, the Land Development Agency or other partners, the council said.
Completion of the schemes is “required by end 2030” the council said. It plans to start “premarket consultation” this month, and move to the tender stage between September and December of this year. Contracts will be awarded between January and February next year.
