Housing

I support the Government’s Housing for All (HFA) plan.

The election promises, however, from the government and from most parties, were pure fantasy.

There are strong constraints on many fronts: planning delays, infrastructure gaps, financial restrictions, and shortage of experienced manpower.

These mean that if we continue as things are, realistically, we can build only about 30,000 to 35,000 homes per year.

This is far fewer than needed. So an entire generation remains trapped in a deepening housing crisis.

We urgently need a bold solution to bypass these bottlenecks and deliver a major supply boost, without competing with HFA.

The answer? Reclaim land from the sea at Fairview to build 20,000 studio apartments. These would be for owner-occupiers only, by law. They would have a target price of €150,000.

By focusing solely on studio apartments, Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) can be fully used, ensuring faster and cheaper development.

Within five years, up to 50,000 people could live within city limits, close to transportation and essential services.

This would be transformative of the capital's housing market bringing a dramatic easing of the housing crisis.