State Abandons Annual Housebuilding Targets But Pledges 300,000 New Homes By 2030

The Irish government has unveiled its proposals to tackle the country’s acute housing shortage, setting out plans to deliver 300,000 new homes over the next five years.

The strategy, published on Thursday, promises to expand construction capacity, increase the supply of zoned and serviced land, and provide greater support for vulnerable groups.

The state has also scrapped the annual housebuilding target and instead set a single figure for the next five years.

James Browne, the housing minister, described the target of 300,000 homes, including 72,000 social units, to be completed by 2030 as ambitious yet achievable. However, critics have countered that the proposals sidestep the structural causes of the crisis and have argued that abandoning annual delivery targets amounts to an acknowledgment that the government cannot meet them.

Goodbody Chief Economist Dermot O’Leary added the move away from annual targets may reflect the reduced likelihood of meeting short-term output targets and “suggests that the achievement of the 300,000 may be backloaded to the second half of the period.”

The plan earmarks €28.2B of state funding for housing, with €12.2B directed toward water and wastewater infrastructure and €3.5B toward strengthening the electricity grid, with additional resources promised for an infrastructure fund and a new housing activation office intended to ease bottlenecks in the system.

Ministers also want to encourage the conversion of vacant shops and commercial premises by offering up to €140K per property, while derelict homes will be eligible for refurbishment grants. The blueprint also promises dedicated housing and tailored support for homeless people, older residents, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin declared housing a defining challenge for the country, while Tánaiste Simon Harris dubbed the situation a national emergency, adding that the obstacle was not funding but delays and bureaucracy.

Opponents have dismissed the plan as a retread of earlier policies, with Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin dubbing the proposals a “reheated and repackaged version” of the previous minister’s approach. He accused ministers of preempting failure by removing annual targets to avoid scrutiny.

The Irish Planning Institute welcomed fresh measures to boost supply but cautioned that it would take time for the delivery system to recover and expand to the level required.

“Our current activity and increased funding levels mean we are now well positioned to become the State’s largest producer of homes by 2028 and to deliver 14,000 homes between now and 2029,” Land Development Agency CEO John Coleman said in a statement. “This level of delivery will add significantly to the homes being delivered by others in the State sector and by private developers.”

“While the housing plan represents an important milestone, some of the issues holding back supply, including the planning regime and the coordination of the output of utility providers is outside its remit,” Goodbody’s O’Leary said in a note.

“The actions stemming from the upcoming Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce and the role of the new Housing Activation Office will be crucial in delivering on the plan,” he added.

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