An initiative to improve the provision of affordable homes in Dublin has been announced a day after a report revealed high rates of poverty among those living in the some of capital's local authority housing areas.
The Affordable Housing Partnership Board, whose task is to speed up the delivery of affordable housing in the Greater Dublin area, was announced today by Environment Minister Dick Roche.
Unveiling the nine-member, Mr Roche said the move was "significant" and that the board would "hit the ground running and deliver faster affordable homes in the Greater Dublin Area".
The board consists of experts in the field of social provision along with the managers of Dublin's four local authorities.
It will try to improve co-ordination in the delivery of affordable housing across the Greater Dublin Area with particular emphasis on the city.
"Getting more affordable homes of high quality and getting them in place faster is what it's all about," the Minister said. The Government will review progress and will introduce extra legislation if needed as part of the initiative.
The appointment of the board follows a Combat Poverty Agency report published yesterday that found some of the highest levels of deprivation in the State are in pockets of local authority housing in Dublin.
It found there was a link between housing and poverty, with a person in local authority housing five times more likely to be in poverty compared to homeowners.
The agency urged the Government to do more to meet its own targets in social housing provision and made particular reference to Part V of the Planning Act, which requires developers to allocate 20 per cent of new-builds to socially affordable housing.
Mr Roche today said the board would promote a common approach to implementation or the legislation which has yet to be fully observed. Earlier this month figures showed the number of social and affordable houses built last year fell despite a record number of new homes being built.
The board will supervise the planning and development of units on State lands, at the request of the Minister. It will also assess proposals from developers willing to develop socially affordable units on lands not currently zoned for housing.
The scheme allows for State lands to be handed over to private developers in return for homes to be built elsewhere.
A number of deals were announced - including one at Harcourt Terrace Lane in central Dublin that came in for criticism. The Harcourt scheme, which is being seen as a pilot project, will involve the State swapping its 0.4 acre site for 193 social and affordable houses in west Dublin.
Today, Mr Roche said the project would deliver the affordable homes faster and provide good value to the taxpayer.
Members of the Board include Siptu president, Des Geraghty (chairperson); Prof Mary Lambkin of UCD Business School; Ballymun Regeneration Ltd chairperson Maureen Lynott; and Dublin City Council executive manager John O'Connor, who will act as interim chief executive.