People in the State are living through unprecedented times in terms of housing, the Minister for Housing and Urban Renewal said today at the opening of the National Housing Conference in Galway.
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Mr Robert Molloy addressing the conference said "never before in the history of the State have we experienced such a period of sustained high housing output".
The Housing Conference is held every five years, and according to the Minister since 1996 over 180,000 new houses have been built and the voluntary housing programme has been expanded.
But he did acknowledge that house prices have risen, and said the economic, demographic and social factors which have been at the root of the extraordinary demand for housing will remain in force for years to come.
Mr Molloy said it was important to take advantage of the opportunity to build housing in an integrated manner with the necessary transport infrastructure and amenities to build communities.
He said decisions about how and where this housing is to be built is fundamental to the State’s future economic and social success.
The theme of the three-day conference is " New Housing Challenges - Responding to Change", and there will be sessions on residential density, integrating social and affordable housing as well as looking at providing energy efficient housing.
It was jointly organised by the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland and the Department of the Environment and Local Government.