An additional 31,000 housing sites around the country under the Serviced Land Initiative have been announced by the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Mr Dempsey. The initiative is an important element of the Government's strategy for tackling pressures on housing supply.
The latest round of approvals involves a total of 75 schemes at a cost of £30 million with the Exchequer contributing £12 million. The balance will be met by the local authorities, mainly from development levies. Key schemes include the Gillogue water supply scheme which is expected to serve 6,000 sites in the Limerick City area while the extension of the Carlow sewage treatment plant will serve 2000 units.
Schemes located in 16 counties represent the third round of approvals under the Serviced Land Initiative. The total investment represented by all schemes approved to date under the initiative amounts to £133m and will bring approximately 167,000 sites on to the housing market. The most recent returns from local authorities indicated that work on the provision of services to upwards of 80,000 sites would have been completed or at construction at end 2000. The new schemes now being approved by the Minister are to commence construction this year with the remainder starting in 2002.
Commenting on the announcement, the Minister said "One of the fundamental requirements for further easing pressure on the housing market is to ensure the continuing availability of a sufficient stock of serviced land. The Serviced Land Initiative and other key water and sewerage schemes will ensure that this continues going forward so that the upward trend in house completions over the last few years can be maintained."
The funding announced for the Serviced Land Initiative is provided for in the £3 billion investment package for water and sewerage services in the National Development Plan 2000 - 2006. This level of spending over the next few years will facilitate the achievement of high environmental standards while meeting national infrastructural needs through the provision of an adequate water supply.
