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IRELAND’S HOUSING M A G A ZIN E

Just another form of housing Clúid’s Brian O’Gorman REBUILDING IRELAND In association w ith the

DATE FOR YOUR DIARY

Housing Conference 2017 Wednesday 22nd November 2017 Gibson Hotel, Dublin

3 H ear directly from leaders across the housing sector 3 D iscuss the delivery ofthe Rebuilding Ireland plan 3 Look at issues around funding and financing 3 M eet w ith fellow professionals from across the sector 3 D ebate the challenge ofm eeting housing needs

Sponsorship and exhibition opportunities There are a number of opportunities for interested organisations to become involved with this conference as sponsors or exhibitors.

This is an excellent way for

organisations to raise their profile with a key audience of senior decision-makers from across the housing sector in Ireland. For further information on how your organisation can benefit, contact Lynda Millar on 01 661 3755.

www.housing.eolasmagazine.ie

IRELAND’S HOUSING M A G A ZIN E

C ontents

Forew ord by C hief Executive of the

H ousing A gency John O ’C onnor

D epartm ent of H ousing Secretary G eneral Rebuilding Ireland A ction Plan for H ousing

Planning specialist H enk van der Kam p on plan-led developm ent

A one-stop-shop for housing association support

C over story:C lúid H ousing’s C EO Brian O ’G orm an

Evaluating the roll-out of the H ousing A ssistance Paym ent (H A P)

John M cC arthy reflects on a year of and H om elessness

Ireland’s housing magazine

Jon C opestake of the Econom ic Intelligence U nit (EIU )discusses city liveability

The H ousing A gency’s John O ’C onnor looks at the current issues in Irish housing

D eveloping a digitalstrategy for housing

D esigning for m entalhealth

through m odular housing

W ho’s w ho in housing

The challenge of housing obsolescence

Ireland’s H ousing M agazine D irectory

Exploring the introduction of a D evelopers’

Tackling socialhousing need locally

A ddressing the hom elessness challenge

Tax

Editorial Owen McQuade Ciarán Galway Richard Halleron Fiona McCarthy

Advertising/Commercial Sam Torney sam.torney@eolasmagazine.ie Publishers eolas magazine www.eolasmagazine.ie info@eolasmagazine.ie @eolasmagazine

Dublin office: Clifton House Lower Fitzwilliam Street Dublin 2, D02 XT91 Tel: +353 (0)1 661 3755

Foreword Ireland’s housing magazine

Firstly, I’d like to introduce you to this special edition of eolas on housing. Housing is one of the major challenges currently facing the country. An adequate supply of housing is essential to meet the needs of our society both today and looking to the future. It is also crucial for our continued economic development. Currently there are two major strategies; one already in place and one presently under development. Rebuilding Ireland, the Action Plan For Housing and Homelessness has been implemented since last July. The other long term plan that is being developed, is the National Planning Framework 2040. This will outline the overall plan for the country over the next number of decades. In relation to housing, the Housing Agency is here on a national basis to support Local Authorities, Approved Housing Bodies and the Department for Housing, Planning and Local Government. The Housing Agency is an independent state agency whose sole focus is on the area of housing and is in the unique position of being able to oversee things nationally, due to our interactions with many organisations. The Agency supports the Department in the development and implementation of housing policy. For instance, it pursues a number of direct interventions in relation to the assessment of funding applications from approved housing bodies and supporting them in their delivery, addressing the unfinished housing developments, the acquisitions of vacant properties from banks and other financial institutions, for use of social housing. The Agency has also been actively engaged with NAMA to provide over 2,000 houses and apartments for social housing from their loan portfolio. The Housing Agency conducts work on a range of areas from research to housing supply, project support, to carrying out remediation work through the pyrite remediation scheme, for houses that are affected. It supports the national network in relation to housing people with disabilities. We also support many households that have mortgage arrears, through the mortgage-to-rent scheme. In relation to the housing challenges facing us, there is clearly a need to supply additional housing, particularly amid increasing urbanisation. We need increases in new housing supply to the order of 25,000 homes per annum. We also need to utilise existing housing, in terms of ensuring we get a significant proportion of vacant housing back into use, simultaneously reducing the level of under-occupancy. A specific focus upon the overall housing supply is also required to enhance the provision of rental accommodation in our cities and major urban areas. It is critical that we all work together to address the housing needs of our society and ensure that we provide good quality housing that is affordable to rent or buy. For now, enjoy the rest of the publication. John O’Connor Chief Executive The Housing Agency

Rebuilding Ireland review Ireland’s housing magazine

process with a focus on how we can build on the significant achievements to date and identify new initiatives that add value and raise ambition even further. In terms of reviewing progress to date, we already have a comprehensive implementation, reporting and communication framework in place to assess how the actions under Rebuilding Ireland are working. At this point, three detailed quarterly progress reports have been published on the rebuildingireland.ie website. Looking back at overall progress in the first year, it is necessary to consider each of the Action Plan’s five pillars.

As we approach the first anniversary of the launch of the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness in July, it’s naturally a time of reflection and review. Department of Housing Secretary General, John McCarthy, writes. The Rebuilding Ireland launch anniversary also coincides with the appointment of Minister Eoghan Murphy as the new Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government. In his Dáil address when appointing the new

Government, the Taoiseach, while recognising the progress already made under Rebuilding Ireland, signalled the Government’s intention to carry out a review at this important juncture. Minister Murphy has now initiated that review

1. Under Pillar One, which is focused on addressing homelessness, substantial work has been done to improve the situation facing homeless individuals and families, with a range of enhanced services now available. While the numbers presenting as homeless remain challenging, over 3,000 exits from homelessness were achieved in 2016, a record in a single year, and very significant progress continues to be made towards this summer's target of ending the use of commercial hotels for emergency accommodation for families, other than in exceptional circumstances. 2. Pillar Two has the key objectives of accelerating the delivery of 47,000 additional social housing units and extending the availability of the Housing Assistance Payment Scheme nationally to a projected 80,000 households by 2021. In 2016, over 19,000 social housing solutions were delivered and we are on target to deliver a further 21,000 households this year. 3. We have committed under Pillar Three to build more houses, doubling overall housing output to 25,000 per annum by 2021, with a particular focus on providing housing at more affordable prices. All of the indicators are showing strong positive trends,

with the Department’s latest Monthly Housing Activity Report for April 2017 showing that: planning permissions for 16,375 new homes were granted in the year to end December 2016, an increase of 26 per cent year on year;

•

commencement Notices for 14,192 new homes nationally were submitted in the year to end March 2017, a 38 per cent increase year on year;

•

ESB connections (a long-run proxy for house completions) reached 15,327 homes nationally to end February 2017, a 16 per cent increase year on year; and

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1,600 new housing units were added to the social housing construction programme in the first quarter of 2017 alone, which now includes over 600 developments encompassing 10,000 homes in total, with 130 of these, yielding 2,378 houses, currently on site.

4. Pillar Four seeks to improve and expand the rental sector. With the publication of a comprehensive Strategy for the Rental Sector in December 2016, a key initiative was the introduction of Rent Pressure Zones, where annual rent increases are capped at 4 per cent to provide certainty and security to both tenants and landlords. At this point, 57 per cent of tenancies nationally (or over 186,000 rental households) now benefit from this rent predictability. The findings of the Q1 2017 Residential Tenancies Board Rent Index suggest that the rate of increase in private rents is moderating, with rents nationally virtually flat in the first three months of the year. While this is very welcome, we will be keeping the market under ongoing close scrutiny. 5. Finally, under Pillar Five, which seeks to maximise the use of all current housing stock, particularly vacant housing, be that social or private, we are finalising a detailed Vacant Housing Re-use Strategy, to coordinate a suite of initiatives and actions, many of which are already bringing thousands of private and social vacant homes back into much needed productive use.

Ireland’s housing magazine

•

“One year into implementation of what is a six-year Action Plan, a very significant amount of progress has been made in delivering the comprehensive set of actions set out in Rebuilding Ireland.” One year into implementation of what is a six-year Action Plan, a very significant amount of progress has been made in delivering the comprehensive set of actions set out in Rebuilding Ireland. There is of course a considerable journey ahead and the Department, working with local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies, the Housing Agency and a range of other public and private actors, will

remain resolutely focused on the implementation agenda, taking account also of the outcome of the review now getting underway. We will continue to publish quarterly progress reports so that there continues to be a clear, up to date reflection of all that is going on in advancing the comprehensive Rebuilding Ireland programme. 5

Learning from our challenges? in arrears of over 90 days or have been restructured.

Ireland’s housing magazine

Part of the solution to mortgage arrears is mortgage to rent. This is for households who are not able to sustain mortgage repayments and who are eligible for social housing supports. It’s a scenario we need to expand in terms of households availing of mortgage to rent. The Housing Agency provide a support and a coordination role nationally for the mortgage to rent scheme. Another area we need to address is reducing the levels of vacant housing and vacant buildings throughout the country. We need a concerted effort to get those buildings back into use. This is to help address the housing need and reduce dereliction from parts of our villages, towns and cities. A national vacant housing re-use strategy will now be in place to set out a series of additional actions to address this issue.

A dvertorial

John O’Connor, Chief Executive of the Housing Agency looks at the current issues in Irish housing and priorities moving forward.

Ireland still has several legacy issues due to the economic crash. There is still a level of mortgage arrears, which is significantly more than the European norm and at levels found in Italy and Portugal. According to the Central Bank report for Q1 2017 a total of 73,109 mortgages were in arrears of over 90

days. Of these mortgages, 47,320 were in arrears of over two years. The number of mortgages that have been restructured as of Q1 2017 was 145,352, and the sustainability of these arrangements needs to be monitored. Specifically, in relation to private dwelling houses, 24 per cent of mortgages were

We need to better appreciate the changing demographics in Ireland. We see from the recent Census results how our demographics have changed. Firstly, our household sizes have decreased significantly over the past number of decades. Three out of every four homes in the country have households of three persons or less. Over 50 per cent of homes are occupied by one or two people. We need to understand this and plan for and design housing and developments. In our urban areas, adequate population density is required to support public services, schools, facilities and public transport. We need to consider the reduced household size in how we go about how we plan. It’s the single biggest issue we need to understand and address. The other area we need to appreciate with demographics is the age profile of our population. In comparison to other European countries Ireland has a relatively young population. It’s also an ageing population and we’re seeing very rapid increases in the number of older people in different age cohorts. If we take the number of people over the age of 75, that has increased by 50 per cent over the last 10 years. Over the next 20 years we’ll see the numbers increase three or four-fold. It is something we need to be very aware of and address now, rather than waiting for the issue to arise in the future.

“We’ve learned that the best solutions and outcomes are reached when collaboration is at the core of the answer.”

Ireland’s housing magazine

The overall vision of the Housing Agency is to ensure there’s sufficient supply of housing that is affordable, either to rent or to buy in an area where people want to live. We want to provide housing that’s sustainable, affordable and situated in good communities. Particularly taking account of our changed and changing demographics, as I’ve already said. The Agency as a national agency is there to support local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies and the Department for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government in relation to housing, and in particular social housing. The Housing Agency does this in several ways. Firstly, its work on supporting and implementation of housing policy. Secondly, by carrying out research in relation to identifying facts and evidence. We then use this information as the base of our policy. Specifically, the Housing Agency produce an annual statement of Housing Supply and Demand. This takes an overall look at the housing sector and the needs of our society. Thirdly, the Housing Agency gets involved in relation to supporting housing supply. This is done by assessing and advising on the funding of social housing provision, particularly in relation to the Approved Housing Body sector. The Agency is also involved in specific housing developments throughout the country. For the last two years, the Housing Agency has been engaged in buying vacant properties from banks and from other financial institutions. These are primarily for social housing. Currently there’s an acquisition programme of 1,600 houses and apartments by the Agency under the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan.

The Agency is heavily engaged in supporting the provision of housing for people with a disability. There’s a specific focus in relation to moving people who are currently in congregated settings and have an intellectual disability into the community. Similarly, people with mental health problems, the Housing Agency have provided supports to allow them live in the community the best they can. One other area the Housing Agency helps is with the pyrite remediation of houses. This is

specifically in Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Offaly. The challenges that face us within the housing sector are great. However,

Contact: info@housingagency.ie The Housing Agency 53 Mount Street Upper Dublin 2, D02 KT73 Tel: 01 656 4100

A dvertorial

In supporting the supply of housing needs, the Housing Agency provides a range of technical, project management and advisory services. A wide range of expertise is needed to deal with the wide range of issues that need to be addressed to deliver new housing or bring vacant housing back into use.

we’ve learned that the best solutions and outcomes are reached when collaboration is at the core of the answer. We must all work together to address the critical housing issues we face today and our housing needs into the future. Central to this must be to provide quality housing that is affordable.

Ireland’s housing magazine

Just another form of housing Brian O’Gorman, CEO of Clúid Housing, talks to Owen McQuade about the need to see social housing as just another form of housing and the housing association’s cover story

plans to deliver 2,500 new homes over three years. Brian O’Gorman was Clúid Housing’s first employee and is now its CEO. The largest housing association in Ireland, Clúid was established over 20 years ago in 1994 by St Pancras Housing Association, which was based in North London. Michael Smith, the Minister responsible for housing in the mid-

1990s, went over to the UK to encourage housing associations to come and set up in Ireland. St Pancras was a longestablished community housing association set up just after the First World War to provide homes for returning service men and their families as it was thought no longer acceptable

for them to go back to the slums they had been living in before the war. “We adopted much of their ethos and values. We’re still very much a social business and are committed to an entrepreneurial approach. For us, it’s also about housing being a professional service,” explains O’Gorman.

Ireland’s housing magazine

“Housing requires a lasting, 60 to 70 year commitment to the asset. It’s very much a long-term perspective,” he adds. When Clúid was established the property market was just beginning to turn and a lot of investment was being put into social housing and the housing economy was starting to take off. “We benefitted from the positive economic outlook at that time.” Since 1994 Clúid has grown into Ireland’s largest housing association providing over 6,000 homes across the country.

Just housing A strategic aim of Clúid is to establish the concept of ‘just housing’. O’Gorman explains: “Social housing should be thought of as just another form of housing – it’s not welfare housing; it’s not housing of last resort.”

housing is an indispensable component of a properly functioning housing economy.” A similar concept Clúid is keen to promote is the idea of ‘first choice’. “People who come into our housing are usually nominated by the local authority, they don’t have a huge amount of choice. However, we aim to involve them in choices whenever we can in terms of repairs or colour schemes etc.,” says O’Gorman. Another aspect of Clúid’s ‘first choice’ approach is that the organisation

recognises the fact that developers have commitments to work with housing associations under ‘Part V’ (which states that 10 per cent of new housing developments must be reserved for social housing). Clúid aspires to be the partner of choice to both developers and local authorities: “we want them to see us as a property manager who is not going to negatively affect their sales and has high standards of property management. We want them to choose us as their partners because they can be sure of a quality product.” 4

cover story

The objective is to remove any stigma associated with social housing and to address what he says is the “anecdotal image of someone giving a relative’s address so they are not pinpointed in a social housing estate that might affect their chances of employment or education. It’s about normalising social housing as just another form of housing. We have a core belief that social

We have a core belief that social housing is an indispensable component of a properly functioning housing economy.

Credit: Angelo Failla

Ireland’s housing magazine

Secure and affordable social housing provides a platform for people to enhance their life chances.

association – some housing associations like the Iveagh Trust have been around for over 100 years – is when we acquire or build a property it enters an asset management programme, whereby we invest regularly. It is extremely important we continue to invest in our stock. When someone leaves one of our properties there should be someone wanting to come into that property straight away. Times change but we need to keep one step ahead. When I started off in social housing, central heating was rare, whereas now it is the norm. We need to constantly invest to meet people’s changing needs.” O’Gorman is also very aware of the sector’s responsibility to look after its assets and provide high-quality housing services. “Over the years we have received a significant amount of public funding and we see ourselves as stewards of that capital the State has invested in social housing. Therefore, it’s up to us to ensure that it is looked after.” Clúid believes that the one thing missing in the housing jigsaw is the idea of an ‘affordable rental’ scheme. There is social rental, owner occupied and private rental but there is no offering for those who may not qualify for social housing but can’t afford market rental. O’Gorman sees this as a “huge unmet and untapped need and the absence of that is negatively affecting the whole housing economy.”

Future outlook Clúid is now the largest housing association in Ireland. This growth has been continuous over the 20 plus years since the housing association was established. O’Gorman puts this down to working with excellent partners in the private sector and continually developing strong working relationships with local authorities. He says that Clúid prides itself on being easy to work with and good to do business with: “So we do a lot of repeat business.”

cover story

O’Gorman has been involved with housing throughout his career and when asked, how has the business changed over the years, he notes a significant change in the way social housing is now funded. “After 2008, with the collapse of the property market there was a fundamental change in how we funded our development. Between 2008 and 2016 most of the new developments were acquired properties because we

couldn’t build for the value that was available on the open market. We acquired most of our new stock at the time through acquisition. We are now back into construction,” he observes. O’Gorman points to the construction work that surrounds Clúid’s office and to the cranes across Dublin’s skyline. He says construction is not only producing new homes as “with construction comes jobs.” There is clearly a wider economic benefit and the housing association is keen to see a wider social benefit to match. Clúid has included local labour clauses in its contracts “and developers have been happy to include these.” Clúid is not only the largest housing association, it is widely recognised as being very well-run too. O’Gorman highlights its asset management programme: “One thing we have prioritised as a relatively new housing

At the end of 2016, Clúid’s board agreed a three-year business plan that will see the housing association develop 2,500 properties over that period, with an investment of around €500 million. “It is very ambitious but as there has been very little building activity for a number of years, there is a huge pent-up absence of supply and we can provide a material number of units to address that. “Since the business plan has been approved we have worked hard to build the capacity of the organisation to deliver that programme over the next three years – this is at the top of the board’s agenda.” Whilst acknowledging that the programme is ambitious, O’Gorman is quietly confident that Clúid will meet this challenge. In the first year there will be agreements with developers on design and build. What this means is that the

Ireland’s housing magazine

developers come to Clúid and the housing association signs agreements to take a number of units once they are built. A lot of developers have had difficulty getting funding to commence works after the property crash. Partnering with Clúid and signing agreements for the completed units has enabled them to get finance. Clúid has also pioneered innovative procurement methods which enable them to pay stage payments while adhering to public procurement rules. O’Gorman also points to the issue of land supply. “This has always been an issue for us. We don’t have access to any land bank ourselves, so we are reliant on private developers and on local authorities.” However, he is optimistic: “The 2,500 units we will bring in over the next three years are all identified schemes. They are all in the pipeline at various stages of development.” Reflecting on the changes in the housing sector, O’Gorman sees a restructuring of the sector in the coming years. There are over 200 housing associations in Ireland. This contrasts to only 35, larger, housing associations in Northern Ireland. “In the North, there has been a lot of collaboration and mergers and that needs to happen here too.” He also highlights a move towards more regulation and this year statutory regulation will come in to replace a voluntary regulatory code. He continues by pointing out the change in funding models. Up until 2008, Clúid would have designed and built housing using 100 per cent grant funding; since then the funding model has been based on debt finance. Now that the organisation is actually going out to lenders there is a whole new function required within the housing association. Clúid has had to greatly enhance its finance and legal capacities in order to deal with the increased governance and risk management functions.

Looking at the role of housing in the wider economy, social housing can act as an enabler to regenerate rundown areas, particularly in inner cities. Clúid has delivered such projects in Dublin, Longford and Ballina: “We have taken rundown estates that have been transferred to us by the local authority and we regenerated these and that has

been a catalyst for other economic development in these places. There are many ways social housing can play its part in the general economy.” On a more philosophical note, O’Gorman says: “There is a social pact with social housing. Taxpayers put money into social housing and it needs to be well managed and for people who are housed in social housing it should enhance their life chances. The core belief for us is that secure and affordable social housing provides a platform for people to enhance their life chances.”

Profile: Brian O’Gorman Born in Wolverhampton Brian moved to Limerick at 14 years of age. He studied philosophy at college and has a Masters degree in business from the IMI. He has always worked in the not-for-profit housing sector, starting with Threshold where he dealt with mortgage and rent arears and controlled tenancies. He then moved to the homeless charity Focus Ireland working in housing policy. Later, he studied housing management at Ulster University and joined Clúid as its first employee. “When you start any job you don’t think you will be there that long but what has always excited me about Clúid is that it constantly changes. It is always innovating and forming new partnerships which keeps us all fresh – that’s why I have never left.”

cover story

In addition to delivering the investment programme of 2,500 new homes, O’Gorman would like to expand Clúid’s business. “We would like to build much more integrated developments, with affordable rental alongside social housing. We would like to do more housing that is more inclusive, for people with special needs and also migrant families, housing more people who are currently in direct provision. We

would like our schemes to better reflect society in general, with people at different stages of the life cycle, to approximate what any thriving community looks like.”

Interests outside work include hurling and camogie, which his daughters play and Brian also enjoys set dancing and traditional Irish music with his wife.

Ireland’s housing magazine

Progress towards Rebuilding Ireland Ireland’s Housing Magazine examines the progress of the Rebuilding Ireland Plan to date. The construction industry can generate 75,000 jobs, create 25,000 houses every year and deliver infrastructure projects worth over €26 billion, if a supportive policy framework is in place, according to the Construction Industry Federation (CIF). CIF President Michael Stone says that the construction industry has been tasked with ‘Rebuilding Ireland’, adding: “It's clear the Government recognises again that our industry, and the progress of the Irish economy, are intertwined. “Construction is critical to this country’s growth and job creation. For every 10 jobs in construction, another four are created indirectly – meaning we support over 190,000 jobs in Ireland in communities throughout the country.”

In many ways, this could have been predicted as the response from the construction sector to the Government’s plan to tackle homelessness and kick start the house building sector, once again. In essence, Rebuilding Ireland will see the doubling of housing construction to 25,000 per year, deliver 47,000 social housing units by the end of 2021 and tackle homelessness. The Government has, specifically, committed €5.35 billion for the delivery of social housing.

Ireland. However, its membership has concerns about the scale of the plan and the length of time it implies for eliminating Ireland’s housing crisis. A spokesperson commented: “Despite the plan’s scale, it falls far short of planning to produce the number of houses required if Ireland is to eliminate its housing need. Currently, there are 90,000 households on waiting lists for social housing.

While the plan has been generally welcomed, some organisations still believe it to be lacking, in terms of the overall targets set.

“If fully implemented, the plan will meet a little over half of that requirement while making no provision for the growth in the waiting lists that is likely to follow the continuing rise in the cost of accommodation.”

Social Justice Ireland, for example, has welcomed the broad thrust of Rebuilding

For its part, the Irish Council for Social Housing (ICSH) sees Rebuilding Ireland

realising the potential for a greater synergy between housing associations and local authorities over the coming years.

“In 2015, the ICSH Survey

An ICSH spokesperson said: “A collective target for all social delivery at local authority level, to include local authorities and housing associations, would help to embed housing associations and ensure they are playing their part.

of local authority elected

“In 2015, the ICSH Survey of local authority elected members found that over 90 per cent wanted to work in partnership with housing associations. This should be built upon so that, collectively, we can reach the needs of greater numbers of individuals and family groups in housing need.”

90 per cent wanted to

“This Plan sets out a clear roadmap to achieve the Government’s goals to significantly increase and expedite the delivery of social housing units, boost private housing construction, improve the rental market, and deliver on the commitment to see housing supply, in overall terms, increase to some 25,000 new homes every year by 2020.” According to Kenny, Rebuilding Ireland will end rough sleeping and the use of unsuitable long-term emergency accommodation, including hotels and B&Bs, for homeless families. All of these key issues take precedence within the Plan. He adds: “The range of actions set out in the Plan is ambitious, both in the scale of investment of some €5.5 billion in social housing and housing infrastructure, but also in its pursuit of appropriate reform, acknowledging the need for new thinking to deliver the kind of housing that people want, in the right places and in a manner that they can afford.” Former Housing Minister Simon Coveney, the government representative directly responsible for developing the plan in the first instance, says that it comprises five pillars of concerted actions – addressing homelessness, accelerating social housing, building more homes, improving the rental sector and utilising existing housing. He adds: “A key priority is addressing

Ireland’s housing magazine

Former Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD believes that the development of the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness underpins the Government’s commitment to end the housing shortage and to tackle homelessness.

members found that over work in partnership with housing associations.” the unacceptable level of homeless families and long-term homeless people in emergency accommodation, by providing rapid-delivery housing, alongside measures to support those at risk of losing their homes. “A truly ambitious social housing programme will be delivered. We have also put in place a €200 million Infrastructure Fund to open up large sites, where homes are needed and where homes are now going to be built. “In addition, we have increased the levels of Rent Supplement and the Housing Assistance Payment to give people, who need it most, more security to remain in their homes.” Coveney made it clear that the output of private housing will increase by enhancing the viability of construction in order to double the completion level of additional homes in the next four years, so as to deliver the 25,000 homes or more that are required annually. “We will develop a strategy for a viable, sustainable and affordable rental sector, with early legislative actions to protect tenants and landlords,” he says. “We will also ensure that available existing housing is used to the maximum degree possible. Achieving these goals will rebuild Ireland in a way that affects every aspect of our lives. Good housing anchors strong communities, a performing economy and an environment of quality.” Coveney says that Rebuilding Ireland will

be driven by the Government in a way that will be visible, tangible and totally focused around results on the ground, adding: “This means more homes, at an affordable price, in the places where they are needed and a reduction in the numbers of homeless people in hotels and emergency accommodation. “The publication of the Plan is only the beginning and the implementation has already started. I have established a special Housing Delivery Office which will play a key role in the implementation of this Plan. “There will also be a new Housing Procurement Unit in the Housing Agency and the role of local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies will be critical. So that the Plan’s delivery is grounded in reality, I am establishing a Stakeholder Forum that will act as a vehicle for continuous feedback on the practical experience of implementation.”

Key targets within Rebuilding Ireland A number of key targets have been established for Rebuilding Ireland. These include the following:

Tackling homelessness Over the coming months emergency hotel and B&B type accommodation for families will only be used in limited circumstances and will have been largely replaced by suitable, permanent family accommodation by delivering additional

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acquiring 1,600 vacant homes from the investment or loan portfolios of banks and other financial institutions over the period to 2020, so that they can be added to the stock of social housing.

Affordable rental

Ireland’s housing magazine

An Affordable Rental Scheme will be put in place in order to enhance the capacity of the private rented sector to provide quality and affordable accommodation for households currently paying a disproportionate amount of disposable income on rent.

Planning for starter homes Local authorities, through their housing strategies, will be tasked to develop demonstration projects on privately owned sites for the provision of starter homes, reflecting a more progressive approach to such strategies which are required under Part V of the Planning and Development Acts.

“The use of hotels to accommodate families in need of housing has spiralled in recent months and last year, alone, Dublin City Council spent €40 million housing homeless families in hotels and B&Bs.” housing solutions including through an expanded Rapid-Build Housing Programme.

Delivering social housing Five demonstration projects will be selected across the local authority sector as exemplars for the remainder of the sector in the integrated achievement of all the key objectives of the Action Plan,

Innovation in delivering mixed social and affordable housing Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council will progress a mixed tenure development of 150 units for social and affordable rental housing purposes on a joint venture basis with an Approved Housing Body, utilising a ready-to-go site.

with a focus on efficient delivery, cost effective and responsive design, mix of stock and/or brownfield development

Acquiring vacant homes for social housing

land that regenerates urban areas.

The Housing Agency will work towards

types and tenure, and re-use of existing

Fianna Fáil TD, and Spokesperson for Dublin, John Lahart believes that the Government is not achieving sufficient progress on delivering new social housing construction. The Deputy made the comments following the publication of new timelines by Dublin City Council, which show that just one rapid-build housing scheme, currently under construction in Dublin city, will be completed ahead of the deadline set by Simon Coveney. “The use of hotels to accommodate families in need of housing has spiralled in recent months and last year, alone, Dublin City Council spent €40 million housing homeless families in hotels and B&Bs. “The latest Social Housing Status Report figures suggest that there will be approximately 1,000 new social homes constructed in 2017. However, the Action Plan had set a target of 5,000. “What’s more, Dublin City Council has confirmed that the rapid build housing due to be completed at Cherry Orchard, Finglas, Darndale and Drimnagh by the end of 2016 will now not be completed until next year.” Minister of State for Housing Damien English recently gave a Rebuilding Ireland update in the Seanad. He pointed out that the overriding objectives for the Government under Pillar one, which deals with addressing

homelessness, are to stem the flow of people into homelessness, adding: “This will ensure that sufficient-quality, emergency accommodation is available. We are also working to secure long-term sustainable homes for families and individuals experiencing homelessness.

Ireland’s housing magazine

He continues: “The new national mortgage arrears resolution service, Abhaile, and the associated scheme of aid and advice for borrowers in mortgage arrears were launched last autumn to assist those at risk of homelessness through mortgage arrears. “In addition, the Government announced significant changes to the mortgage to rent scheme that are designed to lead to a major increase in the number of households benefitting from the scheme. The changes will make the scheme quicker, more transparent, easier to navigate for borrowers and, ultimately, more accessible to more households in mortgage distress.” English also confirmed that the last quarter of 2016 saw significant emphasis being placed on delivering additional emergency accommodation for homeless people who sleep rough. “Over 200 additional beds were provided across a number of facilities in Dublin. Enhanced targeted supports were made available in response to the specific needs of people in emergency accommodation, particularly families. “Some 2,700 sustainable exits from homelessness were achieved, nationally, during 2016. This represented an increase of 16 per cent on the 2015 figure. A significant contributor to this welcome development, and to preventing individuals and families from entering homelessness in the first place, was the Housing Assistance Payment Homeless pilot scheme in Dublin. “Under this scheme, 810 stable housing tenancies were put in place in 2016, exceeding the target by nearly 50 per cent. Homelessness, particularly the number of homeless families and children in emergency accommodation, remains a significant challenge to be addressed. “The increased funding provided for homeless services this year, and the range of homelessness measures to be delivered under Rebuilding Ireland, will ensure that securing further substantial progress in this area remains a top priority in 2017.” English said that the key focus under

“We are endeavouring to ensure that we all play our part in terms of increasing activity levels across all housing sectors.” Pillar two, which deals with accelerating social housing, is on the delivery of an additional 47,000 social homes by local authorities and approved housing bodies through construction, refurbishment, acquisition and leasing. He added: “The national roll-out of the Housing Assistance Payment Scheme will see it providing an important social housing solution for significant numbers of households, including those currently in receipt of long-term rent supplement. “The second quarterly report, which provides details of the social housing output in 2016, shows that almost 18,400 social housing supports were provided from a full housing budget spend of €935 million. “This exceeded our ambitious target of providing 17,240 such supports. Nearly 5,300 homes were built, refurbished or acquired, approximately 12,000 housing assistance payment tenancies were facilitated and over 1,000 rental accommodation scheme placements were made.

“We are also seeing real progress in the social housing construction programme. A full schedule of the pipeline of social housing projects, accompanied by a report setting out the position at the end of 2016, was recently published. “It showed that 504 projects, involving the construction of over 8,400 units, were at various stages in the process at that time. “This report will be updated on a quarterly basis in tandem with future quarterly progress reports under Rebuilding Ireland. This will enable all Members of the Oireachtas and members of local authorities to track the progress of social housing projects in various counties and to keep the pressure on at both a national and local level. “We are endeavouring to ensure that we all play our part in terms of increasing activity levels across all housing sectors.”

Ireland’s housing magazine

HAP: a growing success story within the private rental sector March 2017 saw the national roll-out of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) Scheme and, according to the Department of Housing’s Tom Gallagher, the new measure is having the desired effect on the ground. “HAP represents a genuine step change in the way housing benefit is made available. In essence, it constitutes a demand-based, as opposed to a listbased, system that would have been the norm up to this point.

recipient’s employment status. This factor alone is delivering very tangible benefits for those receiving the benefit and for society as a whole.”

“Above all else, HAP is totally flexible in the way it operates. The scheme makes available support to recipients immediately. In addition, it is not dependent on the number of hours that claimants work. As a result, those deemed eligible can live in areas that are more work and family-friendly.

Gallagher says that HAP is working to help reduce the number of homeless families throughout Ireland in a meaningful way, adding: “The new scheme is working to get families out of hotels and into accommodation that is more suited to their needs. The private rental sector will play a key role in meeting the targets set down within the Rebuilding Ireland strategy.

“HAP has nothing, at all, to do with a

“HAP particularly suits landlords, as they

are guaranteed their money. The one possible downside is the fact that they are receiving their money one month in arrears and not one month ahead, as would be the arrangement within a private rental contract. “There are currently 23,000 HAP clients and this figure is increasing by about 400 per week. It was significant that Ministers Kelly and Coveney recommitted to the system earlier this year. This is further evidence of the political support for HAP. “All HAP claimants are then put on a Transfer Housing list. Again there is

flexibility in this approach. Some people may wish to remain within the private rental sector on an ongoing basis while other will want to secure a standard, domestic dwelling that is supplied by a housing authority.” All local authorities use the HAP Shared Services Centre, which is based in Limerick, to collect rents from HAP tenants and make HAP rental payments to landlords. According to Eoghan Prendergast, Director of Services at Limerick City and County Council, the initiative is working well. “All the housing organisations are committed to confirming claimants’ eligibility for HAP as quickly as possible. In turn, this means that claimants can physically access the benefit almost immediately thereafter,” he says. “We pay the landlords their rent while, at the same time, collecting the payment contribution agreed for individual HAP claimants. They can pay in a number of ways, including a Bill Pay Card or through a direct debit mechanism. “We have had very few people defaulting on their payments and, even when this has become an issue, matters have been quickly resolved in almost all cases.” Prendergast confirmed that the Shared Services Centre has a transaction budget for 2017 of €230 million. “This will increase to some €600 million by 2021.” January to May 2017 saw staff at the Shared Services Centre paying out a total of €13.8 million in payments to landlords and collecting €3.5 million from tenants. “The total will rise to some €15 million for the first six months of the year,” says Prendergast.

“The Shared Services Centre is well on course to meet the 2017 national target of 15,000 new tenancies. “Landlord payments are growing at over €1 million per month while the rent run is increasing by €150,000 per month.” Prendergast adds that HAP is relatively easy to operate: “We are taking on a lot of the heavy lifting, for all those involved. For example, the securing of tax clearance can be an issue for landlords. However, we are happy to interface with the Revenue on matters of this nature, if required.” There are currently 41 people working within Prendergast’s HAP team in Limerick. “We have employed a bespoke grouping of people, many of whom have a track record in working within the private sector,” confirms Prendergast. “All are highly experienced with the right mix of skills to deal with both landlords and those actually claiming HAP. “We are currently paying between 18,000 and 19,000 landlords. Of those currently claiming HAP, two thirds are family groups with the remainder made up of individuals. “Our employment levels are due to rise to 111 over the coming years. This is the number that falls out from the running of the business plan that was developed around an envisaged 70,000 HAP tenants being on the ground by 2021. “All my staff are working out of the Granary in Limerick. The building has been specifically refurbished for the HAP project. This extra employment is good news for the economy of the Limerick area.” In order to qualify for HAP, a household must be qualified for social housing

support by their local authority, which means the household must qualify to go on the local authority housing waiting list. However, HAP claimants, like Rent Supplement recipients, are responsible for finding their own accommodation in the private rented market. “HAP represents a two-party agreement, arrived at between the claimant and the landlord,” says Prendergast.

Ireland’s housing magazine

“HAP has nothing, at all, to do with a recipient’s employment status. This factor alone is delivering very tangible benefits for those receiving the benefit and for society as a whole.”

“In cases of persistent non-payment of rent, my staff will initially notify the landlord. If this matter of affairs persists, we will cease to pay the landlord, but we have had a 99 per cent rent collection rate so far. HAP is destined to become the biggest non-capital support scheme for people in private rental accommodation.” The Housing Agency’s Jim Baneham believes that HAP is making a real and positive difference in helping to address Ireland’s social housing challenge. “The Agency was one of the prime movers in having the scheme introduced in the first place,” he says. “The underlying principle of HAP providing gap funding for claimants is inherently fair. The scheme also acts to ensure that recipients are guaranteed accommodation that meets specific standards. “Properties are inspected by the various housing authorities as part of the registration process. What’s more, landlords entering the scheme cannot discriminate against tenants that are claiming HAP. “Claimants will be expected to pay more rent as their financial circumstances improve. It is in claimants’ interests to notify authorities of these changes as soon as they happen.” Baneham pointed out that HAP can be improved: “Yes there are challenges. The current rental market is under stress and, of course, the same can be said for the housing sector as a whole. “The Agency has welcomed the Government’s rental strategy and the package of actions designed to deliver a strong, viable and attractive rental sector that delivers affordable and high quality accommodation for tenants. “This will also help secure a predictable investment environment for landlords and accommodation providers.”

Ireland’s housing magazine

Fingal County Council’s strategy on housing is delivering Chief Executive of Fingal County Council Paul Reid outlines the county’s progress in tackling the housing crisis. Minister of State for Housing and Urban Renewal, Damien English, TD, on site with Fingal County Council’s Chief Executive Paul Reid, County Architect Fionnuala May and Director of Housing and Community Margaret Geraghty.

Situated within the expanding Greater Dublin Region, with the fastest growing and youngest population in Ireland, Fingal County Council is in the frontline of the current housing crisis.

A dvertorial

We have been recognised as one of the best performing councils by Government and it has responded by providing us with extra funding so we can maintain the pace we have set. Under the Social Housing Strategy 2020 Fingal had a target to deliver 1,376 Social Housing Units over the period 2015-2017. This was supported by €81 million of Government funding from the €800 million allocated nationally. By 31 May 2017, using various mechanisms, Fingal had delivered 1,288 units with a further 700 approved thanks to additional government funding. This is

approximately 45 per cent additional units being delivered. Specific targets under the Rebuilding Ireland plan have not yet been assigned but we already have comprehensive programmes in place under each of the five pillars. The previous minister Simon Coveney and Minister of State Damien English both visited Fingal to hear and see what we are doing and I have already had several meetings with the new minister Eoghan Murphy. There is widespread acknowledgement that tackling a housing waiting list with 7,865 people on it is not an easy task especially in an environment where the country is coming out of recession, the construction industry is emerging slowly from hibernation and the public service is operating with reduced resources. Homelessness has emerged as a major issue within the housing crisis and we are working with our partners in the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive (DRHE), Approved Housing Bodies and the Housing Agency to deliver long-term sustainable housing solutions for people who have been affected by

homelessness. Family Hubs will provide quality family accommodation as an alternative to commercial hotels while we work to provide long-term tenancy solutions. In addition, the Housing Assistance Programme (HAP) has now been rolled out in Fingal and is another means of supporting people in finding accommodation. In Fingal we put a lot of time and focus into managing projects through to completion. This is supported by strong project management processes as initiatives move from the architects through to housing completion. This may seem basic but housing delivery can be a complex process and putting a relentless focus on all stages of the process has proven successful for us. A major element of our strategy has been to bring forward plans to the elected members on a regular basis for building social housing units on land in the ownership of the council and we are also working with the newly established Housing Delivery Office to develop some of our largest land banks. Our current construction programme is

for 630 units in 26 schemes of which nine have either been delivered or are under construction. Our programme includes three Rapid Build projects which will deliver 87 units and other potential sites for this method of construction have also been identified.

We have also actively entered agreements with developers so that we get 10 per cent of the planned units to be built on private developments. These ‘Part Vs’, as they are known, ensure that the focus for the Council is on getting actual units rather than other deals that may not see units delivered. In some cases we have gone beyond the 10 per cent allocation and purchased additional units. Sites cannot be developed if the proper infrastructure, such as roads, water, sewage and electricity, is not in place. The €200 million LIHAF funding announced by Minister Coveney earlier this year was certainly welcome. In Fingal, we received approval for three projects which will unlock the potential for 2,800 houses to be developed by 2021 and 6,900 over the long-term. There are currently planning permissions in place for 10,000 units across Fingal and we have carried out a thorough assessment of the various constraints across the county that need investment to facilitate development. Our 2017-2022 Development Plan is now in place and provides for over 1,700 hectares of residentially zoned land with the capacity for 49,000 homes.

One of the most challenging elements has been Long Term Lease and Rent Accommodation Supplement (RAS). Getting available units from landlords for long-term leasing has proven very

Own Stock , 534, 41% Acquisition, Construction, Part V and Voids

Leased, 238, 19% RAS and LTL

AHB, 247, 19% CALF,MTR And CAS

Housing units delivered

CALF & MTR 153 UNITS

VOIDS 255 UNITS

ACQUISITIONS/ CONSTRUCTION 249 UNITS

HOUSING STRATEGY 2020

RAS & LTL 238 UNITS

CAS ACQUISITONS 94 UNITS

1288 UNITS DELIVERED HAP SCHEME 269 UNITS

(2015 – 31 May 2017)

PART V 30 UNITS

difficult and extended supports from Government for people on long-term leasing is welcomed.

and specification of all works to be completed and engaging an external contractor to complete these works.

The 2016 Census identified 3,000 potential vacant properties across Fingal so, following the introduction of the Government’s Build and Repair and Lease and Repair Schemes, we drew up a Vacant Homes Strategy to tackle the problem in Fingal. Our inspectors carried out an intensive audit, narrowed the number of actual vacant properties to under 300 and are currently working on identifying the owners.

There has tended to be a lot of public criticism, from many sources, that the Local Authorities have been too slow to react to the current housing crisis. In the case of Fingal, we have mobilised comprehensively, had good support from the elected members and department officials, and our staff have stepped up to the mark in an exceptional manner. The Rebuilding Ireland programme has given us a template to work to but it is only that. There is no magic wand to be waved in order to solve the housing crisis overnight. It will take time, but we will get there!

In 2014, Fingal had over 220 blocked-up units across the county waiting to be brought back to standard. At the end of May 2017, we had 57 of which 18 are in the process of being offered for letting. Voids now represent less than 1 per cent of our social housing stock which we classify as “normal churn” as houses are handed back to us, refurbished and reassigned. Our success in this regard has been due to changing the process

A dvertorial

We also compile regular surveys of the number of sites for housing development across the county. This includes understanding the various stages of each project and the number of units actively being built. Currently we have 49 active sites across the county and we liaise closely with the developers on any issues that arise so that we can ensure a continuous pipeline of completed houses.

HAP, 269, 21%

Ireland’s housing magazine

Fingal has also been very active in purchasing units from a wide range of sources, including NAMA, banks, receivers and individuals. Over the past two years we have purchased 222 units for allocation to people in emergency accommodation or on our housing list and we are in the process of acquiring another 54.

1288 Units Delivered to 31st May 2017 Analysis of Delivery by Stock Designation

Contact Paul Reid is Chief Executive of Fingal County Council Tel: 01 890 5000 Web: www.fingal.ie

Ireland’s housing magazine

CSO publishes breakdown of Census 2016 housing themes The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has published the first thematic report of the Census 2016 results: Profile 1 Housing in Ireland. The results show that a total of 2,003,645 houses and apartments were enumerated in the 2016 Census. Of these 1,697,665 units were occupied by persons usually resident in the State. There were 183,312 vacant houses and apartments, while the census also counted 62,148 vacant holiday homes. Deirdre Cullen, Senior CSO Statistician explains: “In recognition of the demand from users, and society in general, for a better understanding of housing in Ireland, the CSO has prioritised the housing release as its first thematic report from Census 2016. “We believe this report provides a clear picture of some of the main developments in the Irish housing landscape over the past five years, including new analysis of vacant properties, such as type of dwelling and distance to the nearest town.”

Highlights of the report: Considerable slowdown in housing stock growth The total housing stock grew by just 8,800 (0.4 per cent) between 2011 and

2016, in sharp contrast to the growth of 225,232 dwellings recorded between 2006 and 2011.

Almost 10 per cent of the population is in accommodation with less than one room per person There were 95,013 permanent households with more persons than rooms, according to Census 2016, accommodating close to 10 per cent of the population, at an average of 4.7 persons per household. This is a 28 per cent rise on the equivalent number in 2011 (73,997).

per cent in 2016 while the percentage of urban homes owned (outright or with a loan) has fallen from 61.6 per cent to 59.2 per cent in 2016. When examined by age the results show that renting was more common than owning before age 35. Beyond this, more householders owned rather than rented their home. The equivalent age in previous censuses was 32 years in 2011, 28 years in 2006, 27 years in 2002 and 26 years in 1991.

Cost of renting The average weekly rent paid to private

Decline in home ownership rate

landlords in April 2016 was €199.92, up

The number of owner occupied households fell between 2011 and 2016 (from 1,149,924 to 1,147,552) causing the overall home ownership rate to drop from 69.7 per cent to 67.6 per cent, a rate last seen in 1971. The rate in rural areas fell from 84 per cent in 2011 to 82

City which increased by almost 30 per

from €171.19 (16.8 per cent) in 2011. The highest growth in rent was in Dublin cent while rises in excess of 20 per cent were also recorded in Dún Laoghaire – Rathdown (26.2 per cent), Fingal (22.8 per cent), South Dublin (22.7 per cent) and Kildare (20.3 per cent).

Planning permissions granted by year, statistic and type of construction Planning Permissions Granted (Number)

Total Floor Area for which Permission Granted (000 Sq Metres)

Dwellings

Other new construction (excluding dwellings)

Extensions

Alteration, conversion and renovation

All types of construction

Dwellings

Other new construction (excluding dwellings)

Extensions

Alteration, conversion and renovation

1992

24487

9156

4457

8199

2675

4565

1993

23394

8801

4450

7346

2797

4614

2499

1411

656

2700

1236

679

1994

26924

9920

5344

8637

3023

1995

28559

10298

5861

9417

2983

5639

2969

1735

938

6365

3373

1921

1069

1996

30538

12016

5301

10422

2799

7698

4167

2418

1111

1997

32633

13729

5068

11150

2686

8153

4659

2126

1368

1998

37223

16719

5180

12576

2748

10221

6098

2548

1574

1999

2000

23595

26332

2001

45500

23613

6197

12837

2853

16206

10463

4023

1722

2002

40900

19728

5926

12322

2924

14420

8792

4004

1623

2003

41617

20949

5932

12159

2577

15044

9611

3937

1497

2004

50272

27512

6717

13468

2575

18719

12795

4258

1665

2005

50604

25334

7699

14882

2689

19995

13165

4957

1872

2006

52259

22774

10453

16354

2678

19288

11091

6224

1973

2007

62367

22253

19402

17835

2877

23985

12206

9314

2467

2008

42151

17491

7544

14435

2681

16799

9837

5151

1810

2009

26034

10380

4515

9222

1917

10190

5928

3065

1197

2010

18839

6347

3205

7710

1577

5256

2861

1525

870

2011

15992

4767

2964

6711

1550

4076

1981

1330

764

2012

14407

3643

3407

5909

1448

3198

1199

1231

768

2013

13901

3316

3431

5695

1459

3338

1305

1306

727

2014

15814

3606

4299

5952

1957

3184

1366

1064

754

2015

17427

4269

5124

6472

1562

4861

2147

1819

895

2016

21099

5116

6944

7237

1802

5586

2585

2062

940

12 month rolling total of number of units granted permission

Types of dwellings The number of occupied apartments (purpose built, converted and bedsits) increased by 11.4 per cent to 204,145 over the 2011-2016 period. This accounts for 12 per cent of all dwelling types in 2016 (up from 10.9 per cent in 2011). Within the Dublin City local authority area, apartments (74,537) were the main dwelling type for the first time replacing terraced houses (74,446).

Ireland’s housing magazine

All types of construction

18,000

Dublin 16,000

16,063

National

14,000 12,000

11,084

10,000 8,000

7,368

6,000

Fewer vacant dwellings

4,000

There was a 15 per cent drop in the number of all vacant dwellings (including holiday homes) from 289,451 in 2011 to 245,460 in April 2016. 62,148 of these were holiday homes, leaving 183,312 other vacant dwellings. For the first time in Census 2016, the type of dwelling was captured for vacant dwellings. The results show that of the 183,312 other vacant dwellings, 79,966 were detached houses, 60,154 were semi-detached or terraced dwellings while the remaining 43,192 were apartments.

2,000

4,703

2015

2016 Source: CSO

At individual town level, and excluding holiday homes, Blacklion (46.4 per cent) in Cavan had the highest vacancy rate, followed by Keshcarrigan (45.6 per cent) in Leitrim and Kilgarvan (43.1 per cent) in Kerry. Among larger towns (population of

10,000 or more) Letterkenny (14.9 per cent), Longford (14.6 per cent) and Ballina (14.3 per cent) ranked highest in terms of vacancy. The census figures relate to the de facto

CSO private households by size

Ireland’s housing magazine

Total number

10 or more

State

1926

622678

51537

98437

102664

96241

82324

65310

48418

33297

21089

23361

1936

647362

60570

110988

111509

100118

82910

62764

45793

30962

19669

22079

1946

662654

68881

118738

116401

103423

84437

62955

44028

28503

17970

17318

1961

676402

85388

137287

116876

98233

78432

59213

40903

26207

15620

18243

1966

687304

88989

139541

114436

97058

79320

61068

42512

27098

16550

20732

1979

867026

142193

176664

131093

132063

108596

77318

45871

25515

13411

14302

1981

896054

151328

180610

133313

138417

116385

80320

46351

27200

10575

11555

1986

964882

176017

195647

143142

155534

127336

83657

44139

23088

8438

7884

1991

1019723

203391

216780

156543

170083

130445

76919

36587

18294

5677

5004

1996

1114974

238470

255163

178752

191018

132569

69926

31717

9955

4260

3144

2002

1279617

274022

331819

226630

222518

134512

59628

18935

7033

2678

1842

2006

1462296

326134

413786

264438

243303

136979

54618

15141

5050

1719

1128

2011

1649408

389347

478276

295604

267828

144916

52664

14107

4345

1409

912

RTB Rent Price Index (Q3 2007=100) 120

110

108.4

100

98.5

101.2

90.7

2015Q1

2015Q2

2015Q3

2015Q4

National

2016Q1

2016Q2

2016Q3

Dublin

Source: RTB

population. In other words, the population recorded for each area represents the total of all persons present within its boundaries on the night of Sunday, 24 April 2016, together with all persons who arrived in that area on the morning of Monday, 25 April 2016, not having been enumerated elsewhere. Persons on board ships in port are included with the population of adjacent areas. The figures, therefore, include visitors present on Census Night as well as those in residence, while usual residents temporarily absent from the area are excluded.

The de facto measure of the population in April 2016 was 4,761,865 while the usually resident total was 4,689,921 – a difference of 71,944 or 1.5 per cent. The usually resident measure is used when analysing topics such as nationality and households and families. The housing stock is defined as the total number of permanent residential dwellings that were available for occupancy at the time of census enumeration. In this report, the housing stock consists of permanent, private households (inhabited by both usual residents and visitors), holiday homes,

vacant houses or apartments, along with dwellings where all the occupants were temporarily absent on Census night. However, communal establishments, temporary private households (e.g. caravans and mobile homes), along with dwellings categorised by the enumerators as being derelict or under construction are excluded from this definition. In identifying vacant dwellings, enumerators were instructed to look for signs that the dwelling was not occupied – e.g. no furniture, no cars outside, junk mail accumulating, overgrown garden etc., and to find out from neighbours whether it was vacant or not. It was not sufficient to classify a dwelling as vacant after one or two visits. Similar precautions were also taken before classifying holiday homes. Dwellings under construction and derelict properties were not included in the count of vacant dwellings. As a result, the empty housing units were classified as vacant houses, vacant apartments or holiday homes only if the dwelling was considered fit for habitation by the enumerator. In the case of newly constructed dwellings, that meant that the roof, doors, windows or walls had to be completely built or installed. For older dwellings that were unoccupied, the roof, doors and windows had to be fully intact.

Regulating housing bodies

responsibility, on an interim basis, for regulating Approved Housing Bodies. A Regulation Office has been established to support this work and reports to an interim Regulatory Committee appointed by the Minister. Head of Regulation Susanna Lyons outlines her new role and the work of the office. I’ve spent 24 years working in both industry and banking. The last 10 years of my commercial career was spent with GE Capital EMEA, where I worked in a variety of roles. I was looking for a change of career and I got an opportunity to join the Housing Agency, Regulation Office. My background is in finance, risk, governance and in implementing regulatory frameworks across Europe, mainly on the back of EU directives. I believe it’s a good fit for the Regulation Office. I joined the Regulation Office just over a year ago. My focus has been on the Governance of the AHBs and applying a

Asset Composition

TOTAL ASSETS IN SECTOR ARE

€2bn FINANCED BY:

100

€1.7bn

€146m €98m

7% 5%

Government Government Capital Capital Grants Grants

Equity Equity built up

Liabilities Liabilities

There has been a phenomenal amount achieved over the last three years by the AHBs, and the Regulation Office is cognisant of the amount of work they have done. Currently, we have over 240 AHBs signed up to the Voluntary Regulatory Code, representing over 90 per cent of the housing stock in this sector.

The Regulation Office will continue to robustly regulate the governance, financial viability and performance management of AHBs, under the existing regulatory framework. It will continue to develop the framework by continuing to roll out the Financial Standard and introducing a Governance Standard and Assessment Framework in 2017. In line with the principles of the Code, this work will be underpinned by a collaborative approach with AHBs and other stakeholders. The Regulation Office is preparing for the transition from the Voluntary Regulatory Code to statutory regulation. This will be informed by current processes and experience, but will also require the development of new approaches. We will support the Department in effecting a new statutory regulator for AHBs and ensuring that regulation continues effectively and efficiently while the new structures and processes are being established.

In 2016, the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness reiterated the importance of AHBs within the overall objective of increasing the level and speed of delivery of social housing and other State supported housing with funding of €5.35 billion to support the delivery of 47,000 units by 2021.

The Regulation Office will continue to build relationships with its key stakeholders such as lenders, the Housing Finance Agency, the Irish Council for Social Housing (ICSH), local authorities and the Health Services Executive (HSE), Charities Regulatory Authority, Revenue and HIQA.

There’s a significant growth challenge for the developing AHBs, including increasing risk profiles and organisations continue to strengthen their infrastructure, governance, financial management and performance management within this growth environment. Regulation remains a critical step to support the provision and delivery of these homes, accompanied by capacity-building, increased private funding and new financing models to meet the ambitious targets.

Contact: Susanna Lyons The Housing Agency 53 Mount Street Upper Dublin 2, D02 KT73 Tel: 01 656 4100

A dvertorial

88%

risk-based approach to the assessment of the organisations that are signed up to the Voluntary Regulatory Code. I am excited about the new role and look forward to building on the work achieved to date.

Ireland’s housing magazine

The Housing Agency has been given the

all times, but never more so than in a challenging and changing environment. The Regulation Office is mindful of emerging priorities while remaining focused on the oversight and assurance of AHBs and safeguarding of tenants, assets and investment. Experience elsewhere has shown that robust and effective regulation can foster confidence in the sector and create an environment that encourages growth and innovation.

From a regulatory perspective we need to be confident that growth is achieved in a sustainable manner. Regulation provides safeguards that are important at 23

Credit: William Murphy

Ireland’s housing magazine

Meeting the social housing need: finance is only part of the solution There is growing evidence that county and city councils around Ireland are committed to tackling the social housing crisis on their doorsteps. Local councillors are fully aware of just how large the waiting lists for accommodation are in their respective areas. However, councillors also recognise, in

accommodation needs of its citizens.

equal measure, that there is no easy-fix

Currently, there are approximately

to the challenge at hand. Funding

11,000 people on the city’s housing list.

availability from central government is, by no means, the main stumbling block in allowing housing authorities to get on top of the problems they are currently tackling.

bringing vacant properties back into full use,” he says. “This can be a tortuous process. In the first instance, there is a need to find who actually owns the

More complex conundrums come in the

existing property. Many social houses

form of land availability, securing the

built within estates over 40 years ago

required planning permission and

were subsequently sold-on to the people

making best use of the existing stock

living there.

that is already on the ground.

“A consistent theme has been that of

“Over time, quite a number of these

Limerick

properties were allowed to fall into a

Fine Gael Councillor Daniel Butler claims

They may or, may not, have been sold

that Limerick has a strong track record

on. So, by the time the housing authority

in meeting the permanent

queries the current ownership, the

dilapidated state, for lots of reasons.

records are not as complete as they should be.” However, as Butler also points out, securing the property is only the first stage in a convoluted process, which then confronts the housing authority. “From the outside many of these houses might seem to be in good order,” he adds. “The reality is that association-owned houses must be finished to a higher specification than that required when properties are developed for the private sector. “This is the way it should be. However, ensuring that every conceivable standard is met, on the part of a public authority, comes at a significant cost. There is money available from central government

to allow the development of a meaningful social housing policy in the Limerick area. “However, the devil is in the detail, particularly when it comes to tying down all the processes that impact on any housing development or refurbishment project.” His party colleague, Councillor Marian Hurley agrees that more must be done to tackle the problem of obsolescence.

“Something should also be done to prevent landlords from allowing properties to fall into disrepair and then walking away from them.”

Galway Meanwhile, Galway City has a housing list that extends to 15,000 applicants. Sinn Féin Councillor Mairéad Farrell believes that building new social housing is the only way to tackle the problem. “It’s a tortuous process,” she says. “The Council has been debating the pros and cons of building 69 houses on the west side of the city since 2014. As far as I am aware, funding has been secured to build 14 units up to this point. “This is just a drop in the ocean, when it comes to meeting the overall need for social housing in this area. We need fundamentally new thinking brought to bear on the subject.” She adds: “The latest homeless figures published by the Department of Housing show yet another increase in the number of people in emergency accommodation in Galway. During December 2016, 165 adults were in emergency accommodation, an increase of 15 per cent on the figure for November of 144. “For the first time since these figures were collated we now have more than 7,000 people in Department of Housingfunded emergency accommodation across the country. “A recent Simon Community survey shows that of the 25 properties available to rent in Galway City, only four were within Housing Assistance Payment and Rent Supplement limits.

Councillor Daniel Butler “It makes absolutely no sense for the large majority of those on supplements to be locked out of the rental market, as they just end up being forced in to emergency accommodation. “We are all aware that increasing the supply of available housing is key. However a number of feasible measures could have been introduced that would have provided immediate relief to those struggling to make rent.

Louth Independent Councillor Maeve Yore also believes that building more social housing is the only way to meet the permanent accommodation needs of the 4,000 applicants on the County Louth waiting list. “The council owns 55 acres of land, which has been earmarked for social housing,” she says. “I am not sure if this is sufficient to meet the scope of the social housing challenge that exists in this area.” However, Yore is also conscious of the need for housing associations up and down the country to secure the finance they need to build the new homes that are required. She has a close association with the Credit Union Development Association (CUDA). “I have been working closely with CUDA to profile a new financial framework which would allow credit unions to fund social housing development, courtesy of the large sums of money that currently exist in their bank accounts.

Ireland’s housing magazine

“Limerick is doing its part in this regard, but this is a nation-wide problem. Why should there be so much emphasis on building new houses in green field areas when there are so many properties in towns up and down that could be brought back from dereliction?

“However, the devil is in the detail, particularly when it comes to tying down all the processes that impact on any housing development or refurbishment project.” million, courtesy of the umbrella organisation’s Solutions Centre. Commenting CUDA Chief Executive Kevin Johnson says: “Given the demand, we have spent the last 10 months developing this mortgage framework, and see it as a significant milestone for the credit union movement. “Through the Solution Centre we have been able to help many credit unions make the move into the mortgage market, and are moving ever closer to our goal of making Irish credit unions full service outlets for consumers’ financial needs. “Unlike banks, credit unions aren’t required to deliver profits for shareholders so anything we offer is priced to meet the needs and demands of members, and credit unions are ideally placed to fill the gap in the market left by building societies.”

Carlow For his part Carlow County Council Chairman John Murphy believes that the Government’s Rebuilding Ireland plan is working and will continue to deliver for those people on the housing lists. However, the Fine Gael councillor admits that the homeless problem is much more acute in urban areas. “We have recently completed a housing development project in the Graiguecullen area and other similar projects are planned.

“This finance can also be made available at reasonable interest rates. However, the response from government on this matter has been quite disappointing up to this point.”

“Securing central government funding for house building has not been a problem up to this point. Rebuilding Ireland lays out the strategy to deliver a comprehensive response to the social housing challenge.

Earlier this year, CUDA announced that Irish credit unions will be entering the mortgage market with a fund of €400

“It’s up to all the organisations with a vested interest in this matter to get on with the job in hand.”

Ireland’s housing magazine

Respond:Building Com m unities

Former Minister Simon Coveney with Respond! Chairman John O’Connor and CEO Declan Dunne.

After a year of significant change in 2016, Respond! outlines the progress made on social housing delivery and energy efficiency, as well as ambitions for the year ahead. A dvertorial

We are privileged to have a new Chairperson in John O’Connor and largely a new Board of Directors, whose experience and acumen is undoubted. Declan Dunne joined as new CEO in August 2016 and we have set upon a path of internal transformation in order to properly situate ourselves in the current housing and homelessness context and to set a clear path for our future direction. Our founder Fr Pat Cogan, ofm, has left us with a legacy that will be difficult to match but we will

endeavor to live up to his high standards and relentless focus on the people we are here to serve. As ever, a transformational process must start first with listening to the committed professionals who work within the organisation as well the residents we work for. We have begun this process which will see a new strategy for Respond! published in the last quarter of 2017. But we have done much more than listen; we have acted.

Family hubs We have all heard the heart-rending stories of families in emergency accommodation, in commercial hotels and B&Bs unable to access even the basic facilities that we all need. Our humanitarian response to this was to open Ireland’s first ‘Family Hub’ in December 2016. The family hubs in Drumcondra and Tallaght represent a new model of transitional accommodation that aims in the first

To date, eight families have moved into their own homes from Drumcondra and three from the Tallaght Family Hub. We have significantly ramped up our social house build and acquisition plans in order to address the significant shortfall in social housing supply which is causing many of the downstream issues of homelessness and insecurity.

Social housing delivery 2016 saw the official opening of John’s College in Waterford City. Originally a diocesan seminary, John’s College is now a 67-unit state of the art development for older people and those with special needs and requirements. John’s College is a vibrant new space where residents and the wider Waterford community interact via the Hub Café and the other community services located there. This adds to Respond!’s considerable output in Waterford city and county where we have built has 574 social homes since our founding in 1982. Moy Glas Glade in Lucan is now home to 14 families who were previously many years on the social housing list. Originally an unfinished private estate, Respond! took over Moy Glas Glade and ensured the completion of the project for social use.

We continued to advocate on behalf of our residents via submissions to the policy process arguing that eliminating barriers to social houses and building is the single greatest way we can

Opening of Moy Glas social housing development in Lucan, Co. Dublin.

contribute to fulfilling the ambitions of Rebuilding Ireland.

Energy upgrades Respond! is committed to providing comfortable and energy efficient homes for its tenants. We have always designed our houses to the highest insulation levels applicable at the time of build. However, as in excess of 50 per cent of Respond!’s housing stock is over 15 years old. Identifying the need to cut down our carbon footprint and the rising energy efficiency and insulation standards, we put in place a programme of upgrading our entire housing stock. To date we have carried out upgrade works on over 1,200 homes throughout the country at a total project cost of over €12 million including grant assistance from Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). The works include upgrading of heating systems, windows, doors, lighting and insulation. These works will lead to more comfortable and economical housing units for our tenants, helping to eliminate fuel poverty.

Ambitions Housing supply is clearly the biggest issue we face in the sector. We are significantly increasing our ambition in terms of our housing output in the coming years. The Respond! Board has approved a programme of delivery of over 1,500 social housing units in the coming years.

Our sustainable housing strategy is based on: •

a principle of integrated housing which promotes strong communities and enhances community development;

•

the creation of places that generate a sense of place and pride;

•

a quality, type and location to meet the needs of a wide range of current and future customers, including those with particular needs;

•

environmental sustainability and energy efficiency; and

•

a capability of being managed and maintained economically in the longterm.

We are a solutions-oriented organisation unafraid to innovate but in the knowledge that we have to keep listening and learning all the while. We will continue to increase our ambitions in relation to social housing supply, helping the homeless families in our hubs to access homes of their own

A dvertorial

Phase One of Ashmount Mews in the Mayfield area of Cork City was opened in 2016 and 16 families got the keys to their new homes. Ashmount Mews was Respond!’s first NARPS development – NAMA’s special purpose vehicle take ownership of properties where there is an established demand, leasing them to a local authority or Approved Housing Body. When Phase Two is completed, 35 families will be housed in a long-term, secure situation.

Ireland’s housing magazine

instance to have superior accommodation and facilities than the commercial alternative. Central to the new model are the wrap-around support services for every family who have an individualised care plan and whom our care workers assist in order to move into a home of their own. This, of course, is not a long-term solution to the housing and homelessness crisis Ireland faces but it is significantly better than the alternative while we continue our core business of building, acquiring and letting the social homes that these families want, need and deserve.

and to providing all our tenants with the support and wrap-around services they want, need and deserve.

Respond! Housing Airmount, Dominick Place, Waterford. T: 051 840 200 E: info@respond.ie

Ireland’s housing magazine

Modular housing represents ‘new innovation’ as Dublin rises to homelessness challenge Rapid build, modular homes are now playing a central role in allowing the Irish Government and the various Dublin Councils to address the homelessness challenge that continues to confront the capital city. While addressing the immediate homeless situation, the decision to go rapid-build was also taken on the basis that the latest design options combined highly aesthetic development features. Simultaneously, the new homes are also extremely energy efficient. The Government approved the immediate initiation of a programme for the early delivery of 500 units of modular housing on sites in each of the four Dublin Local Authority areas in September 2015. The units were to be delivered in two tranches of 150 and 350. In the first instance, Dublin City Council identified five sites in the Dublin City area which

could accommodate 153 rapid-build, modular homes. At the time of the announcement the then Environment Minister Alan Kelly said it was his intention to have an initial 22 units in place by December of that year with a further 128 units to follow through a fast-tracked procurement and planning programme. Thereafter, 350 units would be provided through a national procurement framework, overseen by the Office of Government Procurement. The Minister committed to using his powers under the Planning and Development Acts to support the use of the fastest planning process in order for the modular units to be in place as

quickly as possible and to ease pressure for families residing in hotels and other emergency accommodation. Kelly said that modular units can offer a much better quality of life than a hotel while families are waiting to be housed in more permanent settings. He added: “The families that avail of these facilities will continue to have the full set of supports available from homelessness services. They will not be considered to be housed by the local authority; they will remain homeless for statistical purposes. “However, they will be in a better environment, where their family life will be minimally disrupted. The homes will

be built to all necessary building standards with the sites being selected on the basis of access to community infrastructure and services.” The homeless and housing charity Peter McVerry Trust strongly backed the use of modular housing to tackle the housing and homelessness crisis in the Dublin area. The charity’s CEO Pat Doyle says: “The main concerns people have about modular housing centre on the issues of quality, cost and delivery times.

He adds: “The Peter McVerry Trust has supported efforts to realise modular housing in recent years. We believe that these units can play a small, yet significant role in tackling urgent housing need, particularly for families. “It is vitally important that the current political attention being paid to the issues of homelessness and housing leads to a realisation across government of the scale of the emergency we face. Urgent action is required to prevent the situation deteriorating further. “We need to see the immediate introduction of rent certainty measures and rent supplement increases must be delivered in tandem with rent reform to prevent more people slipping into homelessness and, possibly, help some people leave homeless services behind.” Dublin City Council entered into a contract with Western Building Systems, from Dungannon in County Tyrone, to provide the initial tranche of rapid build homes. The development was named Baile na Laochra. The contract was awarded following an Accelerated Restricted Procedure (ARP) in recognition of the urgency of the family homelessness situation in the Dublin region. The specification for the contract confirmed the completion of 22 fast build, timber framed homes. Each would be two-storey, with three bedrooms, catering for five people. A spokesman for Western Building Systems said that Next Generation Timber Frame Modular construction units comprise pre-finished timber framed module systems which, when linked together, create finished buildings. He adds: “These fabricated systems include mechanical and electrical services, as well as internal and external

Ireland’s housing magazine

“However, I think the commitment of the various Dublin councils has added to the existing international evidence on modular housing and all of those questions have all been answered positively.”

“The main concerns people have about modular housing centre on the issues of quality, cost and delivery times.” Pat Doyle, Peter McVerry Trust finishes. Next Generation Timber modules are fully built within our factory. As a consequence, we are able to utilise tools unavailable to the site builder. These include custom manufactured jigs which ensure that all walls, floors and ceilings are square and plumb.

Over 700 people visited the site from a variety of sectors, including city and county councillors, Members of Dáil Éireann, NGO homeless service organisations plus a number of homeless families.

“Each home undergoes a strict quality control check at each stage of construction, in controlled conditions that are never affected by the elements.

A representative for the protesting Finglas Action Group said that the local community wanted the full protection of the planning laws, which recommend the full integration and the provision of services.

“A modular home can be built in one third of the time required to construct a house from scratch, on-site.” The estimated cost for the provision of the 22 housing units was €4.2 million. The Baile na Laochra homes are fully compliant with new Building Control Regulations. Initial protests held up site work for a week. This was followed by a period of very poor weather, which meant that the first tranche of families did not move into their new accommodation until spring 2016. The protesters were members of CTSL Co-op. However, in April 2016 protests were also held at the Finglas site, also identified by Dublin City Council for modular housing development. As before the focus was on the fast track planning procedures followed to get the project off the ground. For their part, the four Dublin local authorities arranged a modular housing demonstration at East Wall, which remained in place for three weeks. The demonstration comprised six different types of modular units. The objective of the demonstration was to facilitate a debate on the viability and functionality of modular housing, as a measure to house homeless families, while the main house building programme was advanced.

He added: “Developing an estate to accommodate up to 2,000 people, without adhering to the required planning recommendations, is a completely unnatural way to develop housing units. In September of 2016, Dublin City Council confirmed that it had agreed the final account with Western Building Systems for the construction of the Baile na Laochra project. The agreed sum worked out at €180,000 per house. According to the Council, this is significantly below budget. The entire site is now fully serviced with infrastructure, utilities and an ESB substation. However, not everyone is happy with the cost of the homes, including Sinn Féin Councillor Noeleen Reilly, who believes the price of the units is “still too high”. “There was a lot of fear in the community about the cost of the modular units in Baile na Laochra. “I’m glad a final figure has been agreed and there is now clarity going forward. “However, the price of €180,000 per unit is much greater than we were initially led to believe the costs would be when this debate started.”

Credit: Conor McCabe Photography Ltd for Dublin City Council.

Ireland’s housing magazine

Threshold: Tenancy protection

Lord Mayor of Dublin, Brendan Carr; former Minister for Housing, Simon Coveney TD; Eileen Gleeson, Director, Dublin Regional Homeless Executive; and John-Mark McCafferty, Chief Executive, Threshold.

A dvertorial

John-Mark McCafferty, Chief Executive of Threshold, outlines the charity’s work in protecting and supporting those in housing need.

Threshold is a national housing charity with regional advice centres in Dublin, Cork and Galway, providing frontline advice and support services to people with housing problems across Ireland. Our vision is an Ireland where everyone has access to affordable, secure, suitable and good quality housing.

or exiting homelessness.

We operate a number of services for tenants in the private rented sector ranging from general advice and advocacy to our Tenancy Protection Service which seeks to keep households in their home. In addition our Access Housing Unit sources private rented accommodation for households at risk of

•

delivering supports for those at risk of homelessness;

•

providing independent advice, advocacy and support to vulnerable people;

•

influencing housing policy and practice.

We make a leading contribution to national policy, establishing long-term solutions and delivering meaningful outcomes for individuals in housing need. Our mission is to prevent homelessness and to campaign for housing as a right by:

Regarding supports for renters at risk of homelessness, our two key supports to the general public are the Tenancy Protection Service and housing advice. The Tenancy Protection Service is Threshold’s service to renters across the state who are worried about losing their tenancy. This is accessed via a Freephone number; 1800 454 454, available from 9am to 9pm Monday to Friday. The service plays a crucial role in keeping people in their homes and in preventing homelessness. The scarcity of rental property means that moving accommodation is no longer a viable option for many, so it is now more important than ever that tenants get the support they need to sustain their existing tenancies in both urban and rural areas. Since 2014 we have provided a free telephone helpline for families and individuals at risk of homelessness and have worked to assist a broad range of renters to engage with their landlord to help to secure their homes. An important element of the service is to intervene in cases where families in receipt of Rent Supplement are in danger of losing their homes. As part of Rebuilding Ireland: An Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness, the service is now national, and the public awareness campaign launched on the 23 May 2017 by the then Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Simon Coveney TD reflects this. Our vital Tenancy Protection Service ensures that families at risk of homelessness throughout Ireland stand a better chance of staying on in their current housing without having to seek homeless services. Since June 2014, the Tenancy Protection Service in Dublin has dealt with over 10,000 calls and helped 2,846 households remain in their privately rented homes through an enhanced rent supplement payment.

RENTING AND WORRIED ABOUT LOSING YOUR HOME? GET ADVICE NOW FREEPHONE 1800 454 454 FREEPHONE provided by the Tenancy Protection Service, Threshold, on behalf of the Dublin Local Authorities. This initiative is supported by Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government and Department of Social Protection.

Callers will receive the following prompt interventions by the Tenancy Protection Service if they are at risk of losing their home: 1. immediate guidance about rights as tenants, and landlord obligations; 2. negotiation between tenant and landlord to resolve problems and taking further action if needed, including referral to the Residential Tenancies Board; 3. guidance on how to apply to the Department of Social Protection for an uplift in payment for households in specific areas who face a rent increase and who are at risk of becoming homeless.

The number of Threshold’s callers at risk of becoming homeless has also grown, due to the serious difficulties in the private rented sector. Tenancy termination was the number one client issue recorded by our services in 2016, with sale of property being the most cited reason for termination by landlords. This was closely followed by the issue of minimum standards with many tenants

We also work to influence housing policy and practice through our policy and legal advocacy. This includes monitoring, analysis and representation on the following areas: •

the Rental Strategy and legislation of 2016;

•

minimum standards and energy efficiency;

•

overcrowding, hidden homelessness and licensees.

Regarding the Rental Strategy, Threshold will continue to advocate for indefinite tenancies. The issue of tenants’ rights during receivership continues to be one of the most common complaints to our advice line. The receivership process can be fractious and legally complex. We believe that the legal uncertainty over the obligations of receivers must be addressed by way of legislation and will advocate strongly for this. We will continue to lobby for a Deposit Protection Scheme given its importance to both tenant’s rights and homelessness prevention. The standard of accommodation continues to remain one of the main issues facing clients in private rented housing, accounting for 15 per cent or 1,432 of Threshold’s caseload in 2016. The integration of anticipated and much needed energy efficiency standards by the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (DCCAE) with the more general minimum standards regulations is something we

will watch closely and advocate on. Overcrowding in rented accommodation has recently come into sharp focus as has the phenomena of ‘hidden homeless’ as we see growing instances of individuals ‘sofasurfing’ and situations of multiple generations of families living under the same roof because of the inability of younger generations to source affordable accommodation. There is currently no suitable definition of overcrowding and we will continue to make urgent calls for a definition to be inserted into existing minimum standards. We are also supporting research into the experience of ‘licensees’ - for example people in the ‘rent a room’ scheme or ‘in digs’. Threshold is committed to finding housing solutions for renters at this particularly challenging time. The provision of our Tenancy Protection Service, advice service and our policy and legal work all seek the establishment of secure, quality, affordable tenancies for the people we assist. We can’t do this work without the continued support of the Department of Housing, Local Authorities and the ongoing generosity of our donors and supporters.

John-Mark McCafferty Chief Executive Threshold Direct line: 00353 1 635 3606 Mobile: 087 236 3995 john-mark@threshold.ie

A dvertorial

Alongside the Tenancy Protection Service, Threshold’s housing advice services play a key role in supporting vulnerable tenants and our direct interventions to prevent homelessness. Threshold’s advice services interface with many of the 320,000 households living in the private rented sector. Last year, our housing advisors took 38,844 actions in advising tenants experiencing housing problems. In addition, a total of 149,313 users sought information on Threshold’s website in 2016, an annual increase of 30 per cent.

having to endure substandard accommodation because of the scarcity of alternative properties. Queries relating to sourcing accommodation were the third most common concern for individuals contacting our services last year, reflecting the difficulty of accessing housing due to the dearth of affordable and quality rental properties.

Ireland’s housing magazine

At a time when there are over 1,000 households with over 2,000 children in homeless services, the problem would be much worse for families if Threshold’s services were not in place.

For our Tenancy Protection Service and Advice, please call: 1800 454 454 tps@threshold.ie advice@threshold.ie www.threshold.ie

Ireland’s housing magazine

Irish homeowners continue to reduce mortgage debt levels The most recent Household Credit Market Report from the Central Bank of Ireland finds that Irish households continued to reduce their debt-to-income and debt-to-asset ratios during 2016. However, in relative terms, indebtedness remains high in a European context. The Central Bank also found that the

row in the last three months of 2016 to

pace of decline in overall mortgage

stand at a total of 77,493, or 11 per cent

credit continued to slow in March 2017,

of all mortgage accounts.

while growth in consumer credit remained positive.

accounts in arrears over 720 days also

The number of homes in mortgage

fell by 1,104 (3.2 per cent) during the

arrears for more than 90 days fell to a

three month period. This was the sixth

five-year low of 7.4 per cent in the fourth

quarterly decline in a row and the

quarter of 2016. This was down from 7.6

biggest decrease to date.

per cent in the previous three months.

The figures show that the number of

The Central Bank figures also confirm

mortgages for principal dwelling houses

that the number of buy-to-let mortgages

that were classified as restructured at the

in arrears fell to 15.7 per cent at the end

end of December 2016 stood at 120,944,

of December, from 16.2 per cent at the

down 196 on the third quarter's total.

end of September.

Meanwhile, the number of home

Of these restructured accounts, 87 per

The number of home mortgage accounts

cent were deemed to be meeting the

in arrears fell for the 14th quarter in a

terms of their current restructure

arrangement, down slightly from the previous three month period. In Q1 2017, the average standard variable rate (SVR) or LTV (Loan-toValue) variable interest rate on Primary Dwelling House (PDH) mortgages in Ireland stood at 3.75 per cent on outstanding loans, a fall from 3.94 per cent in Q1 2016. The equivalent rate on new lending stood at 3.38 per cent in Q1 2017 compared to 3.63 per cent in Q1 2016. Fixed mortgage rates on new and outstanding lending have also fallen over this period. For First Time Buyers (FTBs), 52 per cent of new lending was agreed at fixed rates between July and December 2016, of which 39.6 per cent were fixed for over

one year maturity. Variable rates were more common among Second and Subsequent Borrowers (SSBs) and Buyto-Lets (BTLs), at 53 and 91 per cent of new lending respectively.

The overall value of mortgages in arrears continues on a downward trend, falling to €16.6 billion in Q4 2016. This represents approximately 13.4 per cent of total mortgage balances. The arrears rate on non-mortgage loans is also on a declining trend. According to Fianna Fáil Finance spokesman Michael McGrath, thousands of mortgage customers continue to be denied the correct tracker rate to which they are contractually entitled. Specifically, he has highlighted the fact that the Central Bank has still not provided the commercial banks with a firm deadline to restore the affected customers on their correct rate. “While the Central Bank’s industry-wide Tracker probe has been up and running since 2015, many customers who are legally entitled to be on a tracker rate of interest continue to be charged multiples of that rate by their bank,” he says. “Other customers have been reinstated to an artificial tracker rate of between 3 per cent and 4 per cent. “A family with a mortgage of €200,000, which is wrongly paying a variable rate of around 4 per cent and should be paying a tracker rate of 1 per cent, is paying about €500 every single month in interest more than it should be paying. “Many of these customers have been paying this every single month, every year, for many years. This is the human reality behind this issue. This is an enormous issue in the budgets of many thousands of households across Ireland today. He adds: “The Central Bank says that banks are required to reinstate customers on to the correct rate as soon as they have been identified. However, my experience from dealing with

200

€

150

100

Ireland’s housing magazine

During the period from July to December 2016, the average loan-to-value ratio on new lending for FTBs was 79 per cent and the average loan-to-income ratio was 2.9. The corresponding figures for SSBs were 66.3 per cent and 2.4 respectively. These ratios were largely unchanged compared to the first half of 2016.

Figure 1:O utstanding H ousehold D ebt Q 1x

Q1 Q1 Q1 Q1 Q1 Q1 Q1 Q1 Q1 Q1 Q1 Q1 Q1 Q1 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Source:C entralBank ofIreland,Q uarterly FinancialA ccounts.

affected mortgage holders tells an entirely different story.

biggest social policy challenge we are

“This pace of progress and lack of urgency is simply not acceptable. The number one priority for the Central Bank has to be to ensure that customers who are being wrongly denied a tracker rate, or who are being charged the wrong tracker rate, are put on the correct rate without any further delay.”

together the European Investment Bank,

Meanwhile, the European Investment Bank (EIB) has confirmed support for record new investment in social housing totalling €405 million that will construct and improve thousands of properties across Ireland. It is expected that 1,400 new homes will be built and more than 700 properties upgraded in Dublin and across the country under the new initiative jointly financed with the Housing Finance Agency.

improved social housing.”

Commenting on this development former Housing Minister Simon Coveney said: “I welcome the announcement of this record investment package by the European Investment Bank in social housing in Ireland, which I have been able to facilitate as Minister. Over 1,400 families will have a new home as a result.

in meeting the specific challenges that

currently facing as a country. It brings the Housing Finance Agency, Approved Housing Bodies, local authorities and the construction sector. “In these times of almost unprecedented demand for housing, this new funding mechanism shows a flexibility and imagination in delivering new and

He adds: “It has become a prevailing narrative in some public discourse in recent times to question our European institutions. The European Investment Bank is owned by the Member States of the European Union, including Ireland. This investment package provides a clear demonstration of the relevance and adaptability of our European institutions Ireland is currently facing to increase social housing supply.” The EIB has also confirmed expected future lending for social housing investment under a dedicated PPP financing structure to be announced in the coming months. This will enable

“A further 700 householders will see their properties upgraded. The financial package will provide additional employment and support local construction suppliers. We are seeing a vital economic and social investment of €405 million. “This initiative represents a significant combined effort from a number of critical partners in addressing what is the

international investors to back construction of social housing in the country for the first time. The new €405 million initiative announced follows a €300 million social housing lending programme, agreed between the European Investment Bank and the Housing Finance Agency in December 2014.

Credit: Paul Lockhart

Ireland’s housing magazine

The challenge of housing obsolescence Dublin Institute of Technology’s Lorcan Sirr believes that the Government does not have an accurate register of all the domestic dwellings that currently exist in Ireland. “Analysis of the 2016 preliminary census results showed anomalies between the level of housing that was built and the actual number of houses added to overall stock levels,” he says. “Between 2011 and 2016, a total of 50,591 houses were constructed in the Republic of Ireland. Yet, our official national housing stock figures only rose by a figure of 18,891. This confirms that these numbers exist in a twilight zone.” Sirr highlights the issue of obsolescence as one that is impacting on these national statistics. He defined an obsolescent dwelling as one that is uninhabitable and unused. According to Sirr’s figures, a total of 123 houses become obsolete in Ireland every

week, or 6,394 houses a year. The difference between the headline figure of nearly 51,000 houses being built in Ireland annually and the actual net gain of just short of 19,000 is due to obsolescence. “This reality must be factored into the overall housing demand equation,” he says. Sirr points out that obsolescence can occur for a number of reasons. These include: neglect, fecklessness, financial constraints, too much money to care, regulation changes, family disputes and lack of awareness. This latter point is particularly attributable to properties with overseas owners. According to Sirr, the impact of

obsolescence becomes more critical as the numbers of annual completions decrease. “In other words, obsolescence is relatively constant at 4 per cent to 6 per cent per annum, whereas the number of annual completions fluctuates,” he says. “Obsolescence is affecting government housing policy at two levels. In the first instance it is acting to reduce the actual number of houses available, which is impacting on future build targets. “However, it is also hindering government’s desired aim of ensuring that best use is made of the housing stock that already exists in the country. “Pillar five of the Rebuilding Ireland programme is dedicated to this specific

challenge. Its core objective is to ensure that existing housing stock is used to the maximum degree possible, focussing on new measures to use vacant facilities, so as to renew rural and urban areas.

“We require a better way of

“This cannot be achieved until a better grip is secured on the obsolescence problem.”

know more about our farm animals:

Sirr challenges the accuracy of the new build figures reported in Ireland.

where they were born, what drugs

“The current practice of using ESB’s new connection figures is not fit for purpose,” he stresses.

they received, where they were

“There is estimated to be a 20 per cent margin of error in house completion statistics by using this method of measurement.” He continues: “These issues serve only to highlight the importance of effectively managing our existing stock of houses, as well as increasing the supply of new builds. “The distortion in the official housing figures, created by obsolescence and new build registrations must be sorted out. “Fundamentally, we don’t really know the causes of obsolescence. This must change. There are economic implications regarding the inaccurate assimilation of housing data. Economic resources can be easily wasted in such circumstances. Poor investment in infrastructure can also follow, leading to a further drain on the public purse. “Ireland’s housing stock is worth approximately €460 billion. This is a very large sum of money but it’s hard to manage what you can’t measure!” Sirr says that the impact of obsolescence highlights the reality that resolving the current housing crisis involves the management of Ireland’s existing stock, as much as building new homes.

Ireland’s housing magazine

“A house completion is not necessarily a new house: a house completion is measured by a new connection to the ESB grid. This could, therefore, include houses that had been built years ago but never connected, or temporary connections during construction works, or the conversion of a garage to a ‘granny flat’.

measuring our housing output. We

slaughtered etcetera than we do about our housing stock.” our housing output. We know more about our farm animals: where they were born, what drugs they received, where they were slaughtered etcetera, than we do about our housing stock. “A State response to the housing crisis, therefore, should be 50 per cent about the construction of new housing and 50 per cent about better managing the stock we already have. “New construction is a three to 10 year project but managing better the stock we have could start tomorrow.” Sirr admits that the ownership of land is a sensitive topic, not just in Ireland. “Many events of social significance and, indeed, social upheaval have had property and the ownership of property at their root. Much power, both collective and individual, such as the right to vote, has also derived from the ownership of property,” he says. “To manage property better, it may well be necessary to challenge certain assumptions about the rights and obligations of ownership.

that they are willing to go further than politicians on issues of property, ownership and their inherent rights. “Politicians have been far weaker on issues of ownership, a good example of which is the vacant site levy, which was set at 3 per cent of the land’s value. This is a figure that will challenge no landowner when land values are rising by more than this amount each year.” He adds: “Managing our existing housing stock better is a key factor in resolving the current housing crisis, and one that could have an immediate impact. To do that, however, we need a better grasp on what our stock is and how it is changing each year. “Better management may also involve some tough political initiatives in order to encourage owners to use their property and land more productively. The notion of ownership itself, and what it means in Ireland, should also be examined.” Sirr points out that the main driver of demand for housing is the headship rate.

“It’s difficult for the State to manage housing better when everybody wants to control their own stock. However, it’s even more difficult for the State to manage housing better if some form of control isn’t taken.

This is essentially the number of households that are forming. Factors such as people staying single for longer, family breakup and holiday homes all drive demand for housing. “The State has little control over these

“Obsolescence needs to be a factor in housing statistical calculations and as part of housing policy,” he says.

“This means that the State may have to ask some questions about ownership, and about itself, and how far it is willing to go in order to balance individual ownership rights and national housing management needs.”

”We require a better way of measuring

Sirr says that the Irish courts have shown

over.”

factors,” he says. “However, obsolescence represents the second largest driver, where housing demand is concerned and this is an issue which the State can have a large degree of control

Ireland’s housing magazine

Understanding the rental sector It is more important than ever to focus on the actions required to move us along the path to a rental sector that is stable, attractive and secure for both landlords and tenants.

The overarching vision of the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) is to create a well-functioning rental housing sector in Ireland that is fair, accessible and beneficial for all. The RTB, as the independent regulator for the rental sector and offers a range of services and supports to both landlords and tenants. Our work covers over 345,000 tenancies and approximately 175,000 landlords with a remit now incorporating Approved Housing Bodies, creating a sector that blurs traditional boundaries of private rented and social rented housing.

A dvertorial

A key priority for the RTB is improving access to information on rights and responsibilities to assist both landlords and tenants in preventing disputes along with the expansion of research and data intelligence opportunities to inform change and increase understanding of the rental sector. Of particular significance is the RTB Rent Index, produced in association with the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI). The Index is based on private rental property registered with the RTB. It

is the most accurate and authoritative rent report of its kind, because it is based on actual rents for new tenancies in a particular quarter. In the latest Rent Index, Q1 2017, there were 23,866 new tenancies registered. The Rent Index has become an increasingly important tool in providing accurate, trusted and impartial reporting on rents in Ireland.

The LEA data also facilitates the identification of Rents Pressure Zones (RPZs), which came into force in December 2016. The Rent Index is now used by the RTB to confirm if an area qualifies as a RPZ. To qualify as a RPZ, the average rent in an area must be above the national average rent and have demonstrated high levels of rent inflation in accordance with the legislation. About 55 per cent of the population in rental accommodation is now renting within a Rent Pressure Zone.

120

110

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03 04 01 02 03 04 01 02 03 04 01 02 03 04 01 02 03 04 01 02 03 04 01 02 03 04 01 02 03 04 01 02 03 04 01 02 03 04

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012 Dublin

Source: RTB data

2013

2014

Dublin House

2015

Ireland’s housing magazine

The Index was expanded at the end of 2016 in two important ways. We have more information within the index on not just how high a rent is, but how many people are paying this, and secondly we have now started to provide data on a Local Electoral Area (LEA) level. This more granular level of data allows for a more localised analysis of the rental market, which has been a long-term goal of the RTB.

RTB Rent Index – Dublin

2016

Dublin Apt

RTB Rent Index – Outside Dublin 120

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03 04 01 02 03 04 01 02 03 04 01 02 03 04 01 02 03 04 01 02 03 04 01 02 03 04 01 02 03 04 01 02 03 04 01 02 03 04

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Source: RTB data

2009

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Outside Dublin

2013

2014

Outside Dublin House

2015

2016

Outside Dublin Apt

The criteria for designating an area as a Rent Pressure Zone are: •

that the annual rate of rent inflation in the area must have been 7 per cent or more in four of the last six quarters; and

•

that the average rent for tenancies registered with the RTB in the previous quarter must be above the average national rent in the quarter (the National Standard Rent in the RTB’s Rent Index Report). This was €987 in the last published quarter of the Rent Index, Q1 2017.

If the dwelling is deemed to be in a Rent

Pressure Zone the calculator will display the maximum rent increase permitted for that dwelling. The RTB recognises the importance of the Rent Index and our duty to use our data to create a better understanding of

A dvertorial

Along with the expansion of the Rent Index, the RTB developed a Rent Pressure Zone Calculator which enables both landlords and tenants to easily identify if their rented dwelling is within a Rent Pressure Zone (RPZ), and what the applicable rent should be. The rent calculator can be accessed on the RTB’s website www.rtb.ie and It enables a search for a dwelling by address or Eircode and can automatically determine if the dwelling is in a Rent Pressure Zone.

the rental sector and will continue to develop in this area. For more information on Rent Pressure Zones and the Rent Index, please visit www.rtb.ie

Ireland’s housing magazine

D ublin has a dysfunctional housing m arket The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has recommended the introduction of a Developers’ Tax to free up sites for building in areas of key demand such as Dublin. The release of the National Asset Management Agency’s (NAMA) Annual Report for 2016 outlined that that the organisation had helped deliver 2,300 homes for social housing by the end of 2016 and invested €300 million in the repair and purchase of homes, which have been leased or sold to approved housing bodies and local authorities. It also stated that the number of unfinished housing estates had been reduced from 332 in 2010 to 11 as at the end of March 2017. The level of social housing creation in falls well short of the expected need. At the launch of the Annual Report it was

estimated that just 6 per cent of land bought from NAMA has been built on, prompting calls for a ‘use it or lose it tax’ to prevent land hoarding. The release of the report prompted ESRI’s Associate Research Professor Edgar Morgenroth to claim that Dublin had a dysfunctional housing market and government intervention was required. Speaking on Newstalk with Construction Industry Federation (CIF) Director for Housing, Planning and Development Hubert Fitzpatrick. Edgar Morgenroth says: “House prices are rising at a significant rate at the present time. In normal circumstances this would

encourage the building of greater house numbers. However, this is not happening in the Dublin area at the present time,” he says The ESRI representative inferred that such circumstances could be brought about by developers sitting on land and waiting for prices to rise still further, adding: “By taking this approach, developers can seek to improve their profit margins on development land they already own.” Morgenroth says that the introduction of a Developer’s Tax had been used successfully in other jurisdictions to

prevent land from being artificially kept out of the housing market. “There is no reason why such an approach cannot be replicated in Ireland. Land can be easily valued and assessed for tax purposes. The planning process will identify to what use land will be put. This could be single or multiple storey developments. Obviously, location will be a key factor in determining development land prices.”

“The revenues lifted in this manner could then be used to fund social housing projects,” he says.

Fitzpatrick queried the policy of NAMA to sell-off large parcels of development land, which could not be purchased by small to medium-sized construction companies in Ireland. “This is another fundamental flaw in the way the Irish land market operates at the present time,” he says. “Another issue that must be considered is that of developers paying exorbitant prices for sites and then having to wait for unit house prices to rise accordingly, prior to development taking place.”

“But there remains a fundamental problem with regard to the working of the housing market in Dublin at the present time. It will take direct government intervention of some form to rectify this matter.” Fitzpatrick made it clear that CIF does not condone the hoarding of land by developers.

Responding, Morgenroth says that NAMA is in a difficult position, when it comes to selling off land assets.

“The opposite is, in fact, the case,” he says. “We are aware of the Government’s intention to look at the possible introduction of a Developers’ Tax in 2018. CIF members are in the business of building houses. This is how they earn a living. However, this is a very complex issue.

“The organisation was established to get the best valuable return for the State from the land and properties acquired after the economic crash,” he explains.

“In the first instance, there are significant areas of land that have been zoned for development that do not have the required services to allow their immediate development.

The CIF Director admitted that NAMA should have built-in a development commitment clause when selling off land parcels to developers in the first place. He also claims that the government tax take from a new build house is far too high.

“It is highly significant that the €200 million Local Housing Activation Fund, introduced by the Government to facilitate the servicing of development sites, has been oversubscribed to a very large degree. “This reflects the commitment of developers to get on with the building of the new houses that are required at the present time.”

“The quicker these assets can be sold off at a viable price, the faster the State will claw back the outlays that were made in the first instance.”

“Builders are currently paying VAT plus a host of other levies at the present time,” he says. Actual building costs in the Republic of Ireland are on a par with those in the UK. However, it is the additional taxes and levies that act to increase relative costs. “Up to 46 per cent of the costs incurred

in building a new home are immediately diverted to Irish government coffers at the present time. VAT is levied at 13.5 per cent on new houses built in Ireland. The equivalent figure in the UK is zero. “We also need to look at the issue of unit house size in Ireland. Compared with the UK, the current Irish figure is considerably larger. This is another factor that is feeding into the cost equation.” Fitzpatrick adds: “There is an urgent need to get Irish building costs down. If this is not achieved, the only outcome will be an inexorable increase in the prices paid by home owners.”

Ireland’s housing magazine

Morgenroth hinted that an annual tax rate of between 3 per cent and 7 per cent would be punitive enough to encourage the building of more houses while, at the same time, not punishing developers unduly.

Fitzpatrick says that it would be inherently unfair to levy a Developers’ Tax on locations that require considerable service works in order to get them ‘shovel-ready’. “Those sites that are building-ready should be developed immediately.”

Morgenroth points out that the Irish building sector had been the recipient of tax breaks, amounting to billions of euro in the past. “Developers benefited to the tune of €10 billion in this regard between 2004 and 2014,” he says. “There remains a fundamental problem with regard to the working of the housing market in Dublin at the present time. It will take direct government intervention of some form to rectify this matter.” Morgenroth suggested a change in the tax laws to differentiate between the development of Green Field and Brown Field sites. “The current Capital Gains Tax criteria should be re-assessed to reflect the more than significant increase in land values, once agricultural land is zoned for development.” He also hinted that the associated increase in the government’s tax take could be used to fund new social housing schemes. “The property market is strengthening at the present time, particularly in the greater Dublin area and house prices are set to rise further for the foreseeable future. This points to the growing demand for new houses, which developers are not meeting at the present time. “There are a number of reasons for this, including high land prices, complex planning procedures and high construction costs. “However, land hoarding on the part of construction companies, could well be a contributory factor and, in such instances, a relevant Developers’ Tax could be introduced by government.”

Ireland’s housing magazine

Ó Cualann’s co-operative vision Ó Cualann’s mission is to develop and support communities which have: mixed income; mixed age; mixed ethnicity; mixed mobility and ability. In other words, fully integrated communities. Fully integrated, co-operative, Affordable housing, professionally managed, can play a major role in resolving the housing crisis in Ireland. With the support of local authorities, religious orders and other progressive land owners, the cooperative model is the ideal way to provide affordable housing for renters and owner occupiers alike. Accordingly, Ó Cualann will continue to: First affordable Houses, Phase 1, Poppintree, Dublin 11.

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work closely with local authorities to reduce land acquisition costs and development levies;

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replace builder’s/developer’s profit with a 5 per cent surplus which is reinvested in Ó Cualann projects;

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work with the local authorities and each new community to develop the necessary eligibility criteria including a ‘clawback’ or ‘gain-sharing agreement’;

people get to know their neighbours before they move in;

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work with each new community to develop a Common Charter;

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where they all look out for each other;

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where mortgages do not cripple them;

arrange for private funding for the owner-occupied homes and for the affordable rented homes and arrange public funding for social rented homes; and

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where energy bills are low; •

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where homes are guaranteed to be built to the best international standards; and

partner with likeminded AHBs or other organisations using best practice to achieve the best outcomes.

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where people feel safe and secure.

Speaking at the Finance Conference of

Hugh Brennan, Ó Cualann CEO, unpacks the housing co-operative’s ambition to ensure its cooperative model for affordable housing can be replicated across Dublin and beyond.

A dvertorial

Ó Cualann Cohousing Alliance CLG (Ó Cualann) is a housing co-operative with Approved Housing Body (AHB) status. A not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, Ó Cualann is governed by a voluntary board of directors. Ó Cualann is committed to: 'building communities – not just houses’. Ó Cualann’s vision is to see fully integrated communities where tenant and owner members live side by side, sharing common amenities. The members of the first Ó Cualann project in Poppintree, in preparing the common charter, expressed a desire to live in

Real Communities where: •

the Irish Council for Social Housing, the Head of Housing at DCC described the Ó Cualann model as scalable and replicable across Dublin and other urban areas. Ó Cualann believes that affordable housing, based on co-operative principles which have such deep roots in Ireland, can have a transformative effect in building a more just and equitable society in Ireland.

Integrated housing, where mixed tenure housing is blended together, can have a transformative effect on these wider societal issues over the medium to longer term. Ó Cualann sees integrated, co-operative affordable housing as a means to create a more just society that can redress these issues. Ó Cualann will work in an open and collaborative fashion and will join forces with others who are committed to improving society through the Ó Cualann Model for integrated, co-operative affordable housing.

Inaugural project With support form Dublin City Council, without whom the project could not be delivered, Ó Cualann set out to deliver well designed, top quality homes at an affordable price. The homes were

InauguralProject The InauguralÓ C ualann Project of 49 hom es is located at Poppintree, D ublin 11.

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The site is 7.5km from the G PO (20 m inutes by bicycle or 15 m inutes by car).

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10 m inutes for the airport.

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10 m inutes from D C U .

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C lose to schools,parks & churches.

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O n three bus routes (4,13 and 140).

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Five m inutes from M 50 w ith A ccess to N ationalroad netw ork.

Affordable Housing Project.

designed by Smith and Kennedy Architects from Dún Laoghaire who obtained full planning permission for their design and the houses are being constructed by OHF Group, building contractors. The attractively designed and highspecification, A2 rated homes start at €140,000 for a two-bed terraced house. The average price of a three-bed terraced house is €170,000 and the four bedroomed units range from €200,000 to €220,000. With all the benefits of living in a cooperative community; the initial project is heavily oversubscribed and Ó Cualann have a waiting list of over 100 people all anxious to live in the next development. The price range brings into the market low to middle income earners who currently make up 40 per cent of the house buying population but are not eligible for social housing and are not being catered for by the market. In 2015 only 7 per cent of house sales went to this cohort. AIB Bank is providing the Construction Finance facility while a fixed price, design-build construction contract was negotiated and signed with OHF Group, a Carlingford-based, award-winning construction company. OHF have engaged Cooney Architects, Dublin and Cavan, who manage the post-planning design, meanwhile HomeBond operate as Design and Assigned Certifiers. Building work is underway on Phase One comprising 17 houses with the first five homes have been handed over on 19 June and the next four due to follow on 31 July. The final eight homes in the first phase will be completed at the end of September and the entire scheme of 49 homes will be finished in October 2018.

As a start-up housing co-op, Ó Cualann has had to overcome a series of challenges to get construction underway at the inaugural project in Poppintree. Progress to date was enabled by founders working on a pro-bono basis for 30 months, commencing when Ó Cualann was founded in 2014. Professionals agreed to defer their fees until the project obtained planning and was fully funded because they support Ó Cualann’s wider vision for integrated, affordable co-operative housing and saw the merits of the Ó Cualann Model. The houses are covered by HomeBond latent defects insurance (LDI) and mechanical and electrical inherent defects insurance. The LDI also covers the 10 per cent deposits paid by co-op members/house purchasers which cofunds the development. The houses are priced to generate a 5 per cent surplus for Ó Cualann which will be invested in non-contractual items at Poppintree and in future projects. Peak funding requirement is low compared to the overall project build cost because Ó Cualann are building in phases and selling the houses as they go along. Ó Cualann looks forward to replicating and scaling the model to produce: welldesigned, top-quality, energy efficient homes at an affordable price in fully integrated, Co-operative Communities across the country.

A dvertorial

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Ireland’s housing magazine

A dysfunctional and segregated housing system has many wider social implications such as access to education. Across Dublin, in suburbs like Dartry, over 90 per cent of young people participate in third level education. In contrast, in large, disadvantaged social housing schemes, the comparable statistic is less than 10 per cent.

Hugh Brennan, CEO, Ó Cualann Cohousing Alliance CLG 8 Quinsborough Road, Bray County Wicklow T: 01 286 9237 E: info@ocualann.ie W: www.ocualann.ie or www.facebook.com/ocualann

Ireland’s housing magazine

Building strong and sustainable communities is important

Integrating Fingal’s diverse communities is a key objective of Fingal County Council’s community strategy.

A dvertorial

Margaret Geraghty Director of Housing and Community at Fingal County Council outlines their approach to developing communities and responding to their needs.

Having a director responsible for housing and community within a local authority isn’t very common but we have it in Fingal County Council and I believe it is a very good mix. Creating communities is just as important as constructing houses and it makes perfect sense for the two to go together.

housing went in first, followed usually a good few years later, by the social and community infrastructure and we have tried to take that on board. I previously worked on the regeneration of Ballymun and Finglas South where the absence of some of the things we now take for granted in Fingal were certainly part of the underlying problems in those areas. The creation of strong sustainable communities is not just about building houses.

One of the criticisms of the past was that

So, as well as ensuring that people have a home, I also have responsibility for

community development, arts, sports and libraries. These are the building blocks required for sustainable communities but are also part of existing communities so it is more than just thinking about where housing development is going, it's about maintaining the communities that are there already. Across the county we have been very strategic and very active in constructing shared community facilities around schools that have been built in the area. That’s come about from asking questions such as: Where are the community

facilities needed? Where are we at from the schools perspective? What is the transport like? What additional facilities do we need?

As a result of asking questions and examining the answers we have developed 31 different community facilities across the county including a number of purpose-built, shared facilities that deliver community activities but are also part of the school in that area. The result is that the local community gets a school with top class facilities which are then available for the community when the school is closed instead of lying idle in the evenings, at weekends and during the holidays. We’ve also developed links with the major sporting organisations such as the FAI, GAA and IRFU which allows for our indoor and outdoor community sports facilities to be used effectively and our sports team are very active on the ground delivering a range of programmes across the county for all ages and abilities. We also work closely with older people and have found that by focusing on the needs of older people we actually ensure the requirements of the entire community are met.

With the rapid advances in technology, there was a tendency to think that libraries would be become a thing of the past but that hasn’t been the case at all

The Library Service in Fingal is not just about borrowing books. Our County Librarian, Betty Boardman, describes our libraries as ‘community living-rooms’. They are neutral, social and inclusive spaces for active citizenship and community engagement. Our 10 libraries host over 3,000 events per year and are a key element in our efforts to integrate our diverse communities. The Library Service’s resources, cultural and educational programme support lifelong learning, print and digital literacy. There is 24 hour access to our digital services, which include ebooks, enewspapers, emagazines and online learning courses. Our ‘Work Matters’ centres offer information, advice and support to entrepreneurs and job-seekers. As with other aspects of what we do, we are constantly looking to improve our libraries so we currently have a programme of upgrading and regenerating some of our existing libraries and are also replacing some of our older mobile library vans with state of the art vehicles that will allow us to enhance the service that we bring to the people, particularly those in rural areas. As well having the fastest growing and youngest population in Ireland, Fingal also has one of the most diverse with 18 per cent of the population born outside Ireland so integration and social cohesion is an important part of our work. Together with the Immigration Council of Ireland we have established a steering committee to develop an Integration and Social Cohesion Charter for the county.

One of the reasons why last year’s 19162016 commemoration programme was such a success was because local authorities were able to organise events on the ground that brought everybody in the community together and there is similar potential for community engagement with the Creative Ireland programme which will run up to 2022 and hands local authorities responsibility for stimulating creativity in the community. Fingal already has a civic and culture centre in Blanchardstown and plans are underway to develop a €25 million cultural quarter in Swords that will include a theatre, a library and an arts space that can showcase local talent in the county capital. These centres will sit alongside the 2,000 hectares of public parkland and open spaces and the 1,000 acres of woodland and urban forestry that the Council manages. With 88km of coastline and 10 major beaches there is already an enticing package that makes Fingal a good place to live in. It is how we continue to look after our existing communities and provide for our new communities that will shape our county for generations to come. Looking beyond the bricks and mortar, being aware of the rich and diverse fabrics that make up communities and being willing to adapt and change are the keys to ensuring that the lessons of the past have been learned.

A dvertorial

All over the county there is a lot of great work being done by community and voluntary groups. In order to assist them better we have brought them together under the Public Participation Network and this has given us a better understanding of what the issues are on the ground. There were 462 groups affiliated to Fingal’s PPN by the end of 2016 and it is allowing us, as a Council, to better service our communities.

and they are probably even more relevant to people nowadays because they serve the entire community from young to old.

Ireland’s housing magazine

The willingness to evolve to meet the changing needs of people is at the cornerstone of everything we do. When we are looking at building housing in new areas we are not just looking at infrastructure like water, electricity and roads but we are also determining which community facility or library will serve it and how the staff there can link into new communities that are created. When we identify a need for new facilities we then look at including them in our capital programme.

“The creation of strong sustainable communities is not just about building houses.”

Margaret Geraghty is Director of Housing and Community at Fingal County Council Tel: 01 890 5000 Web: www.fingal.ie

Ireland’s housing magazine

Plan-led development is the future Planning specialist Henk van der Kamp believes that the country must have a planning process that delivers for the environment, the economy and every citizen. For this to happen requires the putting in place of very clear, strategic frameworks. Which according to van der Kamp, has not always been the case in Ireland. He views the role of planning as that of promoting a balanced spread of economic and development opportunities across a region. 44

Van der Kamp also foresees major

challenges coming down the track, which Ireland’s planning procedures must be fit to cope with. One of these is population growth. “Population growth is uncertain, as is future household formation,” he says. “There is also uncertainty regarding which landowners will submit planning applications. The same principle holds when it comes to determining which

permissions will be granted.” Van der Kamp referenced two types of planning model. “Project-led planning invites developers to submit planning applications. These are discretionary in nature and can be subjected to third party appeals,” he says. “Plan-led models, on the other hand, entail the development of detailed planning schemes, which provide a

framework for planning applications. This type of development is regulatory in nature and would not be subject to third party appeals.” Van der Kamp expresses the view that plan-led development is the model that would best fit Ireland’s need in current circumstances.

“In essence, we need more local area plans and more forward planning for a region before development takes place and even before the pressures arise. We should think about how the area should develop and set this out in writing courtesy of a clear plan.” These comments resonate with the thrust of the report produced by van der Kamp, at the request of the Irish Government, regarding the 2013 Planning Review. The academic specifically pointed out that private landowners or developers should be prevented from putting forward Local Area Plans. He also pointed out that proposed grants of planning permission that contravene a Development Plan should be automatically referred to An Bord Pleanála for final determination. Van der Kamp suggests out that a development-led approach is one where the planning system responds to project proposals from developers in an ad hoc manner. “This does not necessarily mean it makes bad decisions. It deals with each application on its own. A plan-led approach lays down a framework for development so that the development sector has certainty and predictability,” he says. “This does not only apply to housing development, but also to wind energy products plus industrial and commercial development initiatives. Our planning system provides for much of this already, but there is room for significant improvement in regard to the implementation phase and planning permission.” Van der Kamp highlighted the example of Dublin’s Cherrywood planning scheme, in this context. “Three growth areas, comprising eight

development regions have been identified,” he says.

and energy efficiency, and to increase energy generation from renewables.”

“Infrastructure thresholds for the individual development areas have been agreed. Each development area must be constructed to a prescribed minimum level of development.”

Where master planning is concerned, the new guide emphasises the opportunities that now exist to plan comprehensively for a new development, or for the regeneration of part of a city.

Van der Kamp believes that spatial planning and energy efficiency go handin-hand. He referred to the recently published pan-European guide, which specifically relates to spatial planning for energy, as being the result of a three year project, funded by Intelligent Energy Europe.

“In relation to sustainable energy, master planning is a useful tool to allow the full integration of climate change mitigation and adaptation objectives into the development of an area,” says van der Kamp.

“The guide is as relevant for planners as it is for the public at large,” he said. “It addresses the challenge of energy use reduction and lowering greenhouse gas emissions, which are objectives that confront all of us.” According to van der Kamp, the guide has 10 themes, each reflecting a key principle of planning. Three objectives are outlined in the context of each theme along with 10 recommendations. Two case studies, undertaken as part of the development work for the new guide, are also featured within a thematic context. “Spatial planning has a fundamental role in the implementation of successful and long-term sustainable energy solutions,” he says. “Across Europe, planning departments have a strategic position within local and regional government, which can be used to achieve the European Union’s 2020 targets for carbon emissions reduction

Ireland’s housing magazine

“We need forward planning and to set out where and how an area should grow spatially in terms of roads and housing. This is done in a county development plan, but more likely through a local area plan, which is already included in current legislation,” he says.

“Planning must embrace uncertainty factors to be effective. There is strong evidence to show that plan-led growth can reduce the impact of these uncertainties.”

“The objectives here are for planners to take full control of a new development from the very outset. This will have major implications for energy saving and the use of more efficient energy-related technologies.” Van der Kamp projected a vision for new housing developments in urban areas. These would comprise narrower units with no front gardens. He adds: “No one really uses their front garden anyway. So why not use this space for car parking? “The area at the back of the house can be used for recreational purposes. In this way, we can make much better use of the total space available in tightly packed urban areas.” He concludes: “Planning must embrace uncertainty factors to be effective. There is strong evidence to show that plan-led growth can reduce the impact of these uncertainties. Moreover, this type of plan-led development is also necessary to achieve energy targets.”

Social housing funding models AHB sector is relatively modest compared to the overall need cited above.

Ireland’s housing magazine

Private sector participation: There are a number of ways in which private sector participation in the social housing market is being harnessed:

Neil Collins, Director of KPMG Corporate Finance asserts that there is an urgent need for structures that will facilitate institutional investment demands to support the delivery of large-scale social housing market development in Ireland. The Irish Government’s Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Rebuilding Ireland recognises that housing is a basic human and social requirement and states that the Government’s mission is to ensure that everyone can access a home, either on their own or with State support.

A dvertorial

In particular, it recognises the need to address the dramatic undersupply of housing and the problems it generates for families and communities. Accelerating social housing was identified as one of the five pillars of action to address this key social issue, with a target of delivering 47,000 social housing units to 2021 with funding of €5.35 billion. In summary, it recognises the human, social and economic cost of failing to deliver a housing strategy that is fit for purpose. The scale of delivery required and the current challenges in the housing sector are significant. The latest National

Statement of Housing Supply and Demand 2016 and Outlook for 2017-18 identified over 81,000 homes needed by 2020, 91,600 assessed households as qualified and in need of social housing support, over 7,000 people homeless, a growing affordability problem in cities and for renters and 50,000 mortgages in long-term arrears. It is recognised that no one funding or delivery model will deliver the required social housing stock within this timeframe. Therefore, a number of models are being utilised. Local Authority direct provision: Local Authorities are directly providing housing to people on the social housing list. However, there has been limited delivery of new social housing at scale by Local Authorities in recent years when compared to historic volumes provided in this way. AHB direct provision: Much of the social housing stock in Ireland is provided by Approved Housing Bodies, regulated by the Housing Agency and the Charities Regulator. While the Approved Housing Bodies have been adding to their stock (including through developments on sites provided by NAMA through the NARPs scheme or financed under the CALF and CAS schemes), the overall volumes being added and the scale of the Irish

•

a PPP programme which is planned to deliver c.1,500 units has recently commenced the first of three procurements. These projects are structured so that the private sector take design, build, finance and maintenance responsibilities in return for a regular Availability based payment from the relevant Local Authority over a 25 year operating period;

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Local Authority-led mixed tenure projects such as South Dublin County Council’s Kilcarberry project (892 units) and Dublin City Council’s Housing Land Initiative (O’Devaney Gardens, Oscar Traynor Road and St Michael’s Estate providing over 2,000 units). These projects envisage a partnership whereby the Local Authority supplies a site on which a developer will provide a mixture of social housing and units for private sale/rental; and

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private sector provision (10 per cent of units on a site) under Part Five of the Planning Acts.

While each of these delivery mechanisms are worthy in their own right, the collective pace of delivery is still lagging behind social housing needs. In conclusion, and in the context of the Minister Murphy’s upcoming review of Rebuilding Ireland, we believe that there is an urgent need for the public sector to bring forward structures that will allow large-scale social housing market development backed by institutional funders who will be attracted by the long-term, public sector-backed revenue available from the sector. We believe that similar structures could be used in the mortgage to rent space.

For more information please contact: Neil Collins Director, KPMG Corporate Finance W: www.kpmg.ie T: 01 410 1535 E: neil.collins@kpmg.ie

Credit: Charles Hamilton

Ireland’s housing magazine

Tackling the homelessness challenge in Dublin A pilot Focus Ireland campaign, developed to help families who are at risk of homelessness, has confirmed that 90 per cent of participants were still in tenancies three months after the initiative got underway. Underpinning the programme was a comprehensive spread of support measures, provided by Focus Ireland. Focus Ireland believes that, if extended to other high risk areas, this approach could prevent hundreds of families entering homelessness. The campaign was a five week pilot programme aimed at the families renting in Dublin 15, where previous research by Focus Ireland found that a large proportion of families had previously been renting. The key to the project was the partnership formed between Focus Ireland and the Department of Social Protection’s Blanchardstown Intreo Office. This office addressed a letter written by the charity to all families in receipt of rent supplement in Dublin 15, urging them to seek support if they were 48

worried about losing their homes. The letter asked people at risk to contact Focus Ireland, who then put them in touch with the range of supports that now exist for families at risk of homelessness. Focus Ireland Director of Advocacy Mike Allen says: “The results of the pilot project are impressive. First of all, the direct mail from the Department of Social Welfare was overwhelmingly more effective than our extensive advertising and media campaign, with over 95 per cent of respondents saying it was the reason they contacted us. “Of the 87 families who were at risk of homelessness at the time of first making contact with Focus Ireland, a total of 89

per cent, or 77 families, were still in tenancies when we contacted them for the follow up survey three months later. “However, 11 per cent had become homeless and found themselves in emergency accommodation. We linked these families in with the Focus Ireland Family Support Services.” Allen adds: “To prevent homelessness there is a need to get a strong message to families who are stressed out and trying not to think about the crisis they are in. Most campaigns have relied on adverts, which only have limited impact. “The Department of Housing and the local authorities have now put in place a range of supports to help people in difficulty. However, people often don’t

hear about these until it is too late. “The Department of Social Protection know where many of the at-risk families live. However, until now, this knowledge has not been used as part of a communication campaign to ask them to seek help. “This approach works. Approximately, 75 per cent of the families that contacted them had not contacted any State-supported prevention service prior to responding to the letter.”

Staff supported families to challenge notices of termination, and assisted others to get an increase in their rent supplement from the Department of Social Protection. According to Focus Ireland, many did not know that such an increase was possible. Families whose tenancy could not be saved were supported to source alternative accommodation or link-in with other Focus Ireland services. The final report on the pilot project found that, of those who were effectively prevented from becoming homeless, 82 per cent remained in the same tenancy, while 18 per cent had found new tenancies. Dublin 15 is among one of the fastest growing urban areas in Ireland with a large number of households which are privately renting and in receipt of rent supplement. The Focus Ireland report highlights factors which lead to increased numbers becoming homeless. These include low incomes, rising rents and a reluctance to increase the Rent Supplement or Homeless Assistance Payment levels. Meanwhile, Francis Doherty, Head of Communications at the Peter McVerry Trust, has welcomed the commitment signalled by the Government to tackle the homelessness crisis. He confirms that that the Rebuilding Ireland strategy flagged up homelessness as one of its five core pillars, adding: “This is only a beginning. Essentially, the government must seek to tackle the core issue of preventing people from falling into the trap of homelessness in the first place.”

male: 26 per cent female,” he says. “We are active in Dublin, Kildare and Limerick. “The Trust was established in 1983 with a focus on homelessness, social disadvantage and drug misuse.” Doherty says that 6,847 individuals are actively seeking emergency accommodation at the present time. This includes almost 3,000 adults and families with almost 2,500 children. “There are also an unknown number of people sleeping rough and no records are kept of the hidden homeless,” he adds. Doherty is keen to highlight the profile of those who are homeless in Ireland at the present time. Up to now, this cohort has included single males, who left school early and are unemployed. “Also included are those with addiction problems, those leaving state care institutions and people caught in the poverty trap. Fundamentally, all of these people have complex needs,” he explains. According to Doherty, this profile is changing as people from a more middle class background trickle down into homelessness in the wake of the economic crash. “Youth homelessness is also on the increase,” he says. The current figures include 3,203 children and youths, aged 24 and under. “These are highly vulnerable people and the challenge of homelessness will have a lasting impact on them.”

According to Doherty, the trust is currently dealing with 4,705 unique individuals on an annual basis.

Doherty relates a number of new approaches to homelessness that are currently under development by the McVerry Trust.

“Back in 2008, the figure was 308. In terms of the people that we work with the gender breakdown is 74 per cent

“A case in point is our Housing First initiative,” he says. “This focuses on the immediate provision of long-term and

Ireland’s housing magazine

The campaign saw trained Focus Ireland homeless prevention workers provide a fast-track targeted service by telephone, email and face-to-face clinic meetings to ensure that every possible step was taken to keep families in their homes.

This approach works. Approximately, 75 per cent of the families that contacted the had not contacted any Statesupported prevention service prior to responding to the letter. permanent accommodation for the homeless with supports and services subsequently built around the needs of each individual. “The Housing First model differs significantly from the treatment first approach first taken by other support strategies. These work on the basis that a homeless person must deal with issues that gave rise to their homelessness, or have arisen as a result of homelessness, before they are ready for long-term accommodation.” Doherty says the Housing First project will target rough sleepers initially. “However, it will be broadened to include those in shelters,” he adds. Doherty is calling for radical rental reform in Ireland. “The Trust is very concerned that continuing to allow the market to determine the cost of renting will only push more individuals and families into homelessness,” he says. “There is also an onus on the government to invest in mixed tenure communities. Everything possible must be done to reduce social fragmentation. “The Government must also do all it can to tackle the root causes of homelessness. Poverty and inequality within our society go to the heart of the problem. The response from the Government must reflect the need for improved educational and health care facilities. “Providing improved training and employment opportunities will also be required. We also need a national response form government: not one that is Dublin-centred.” He concludes: “To successfully tackle homelessness, we need to combine our responses to the current crisis while directly addressing the root causes of the problem. Nobody should be homeless for more than two weeks!”

Calls for establishment of one-stopshop to support housing associations housing (modular housing) to be used as a standard social housing delivery vehicle, and not just for emergency housing.

Ireland’s housing magazine

According to ICSH, the most recent Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness quarterly progress report identifies 17,434 hectares of land zoned residential nationally (serviced and un-serviced), enough for 414,000 new homes.

The contribution of housing associations in a housing market starved of new supply has been spotlighted by the Irish Council for Social Housing (ICSH). The organisation’s Chief Executive Officer Donal McManus has expressed his concern at the lack of progress on the establishment of a coordination unit, or a one-stop-shop, to support housing associations. “This unit was to be established in quarter three of 2016 to provide sites for new builds by housing associations and to ensure better coordination across the various funding streams,” he says. “Housing associations have ramped-up their capacity in order to deliver one-third of the Government’s social housing target of 47,000 homes to the tune of approximately €1 billion. “To do this, we need sites delivered, and a coordination unit to manage a development pipeline for housing supply.” Meanwhile, ICSH President Justin O’Brien said that the impact of housing associations on reducing the number of households on an ever-growing housing waiting list consistently fails to be recognised. Speaking at the recent ICSH annual meeting O’Brien called on the government to address the incomplete action on key commitments identified in 50

the recently published Rebuilding Ireland – Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness in Ireland. He further emphasised the need for a partnership approach between housing associations, the Department of Housing and the construction industry. “It is essential that the construction industry rises to the challenge of delivering affordably-priced housing. The trend for new builds in the Dublin region priced at levels for affluent buyers is not helping to relieve the pressure at the lower and middle ends of the market,” he adds. Further concerted actions to progress the commitments of Rebuilding Ireland have been identified by ICSH. These include the development of an active land management plan for residential building sites for social housing. ICSH also agrees with the policy of investing in new, rapid build methods of

In Dublin, there are enough lands to deliver 50,000 new homes with planning permission already in place for 27,000 new units across the metropolitan area. ICSH has welcomed the recent publication of the Housing Land Map for Ireland. This identifies sites available for housing in local authority ownership totalling 1,700ha as well as key urban sites in semi-state ownership, amounting to 700ha. It views this development as being important in the context of its quest to have a single, coordinating unit for housing associations. Commenting on this development Kathleen McKillion, ICSH Director of Operations, says: “The ICSH welcomes the former Housing Minister’s call for local authorities to present development plans by September 2017 for more than 2,000 hectares of public and semi-state land. “These sites present an opportunity for housing associations across the county to work in partnership with local authorities and private sector developers to build affordable homes. She adds: “We’ve been calling for the Government to embed an active land management strategy into the housing system to ensure a continuous pipeline of building land for social housing. “The publication of the Housing Land Map means the Government now has the tools to do this. This is part of a long-term vision: we expect this to inform the evidence-based planning that is much needed to deliver on the Ireland 2040 National Planning Framework.”

Navigating Financial Risk management place decisions in context, centred around desired goal and evaluate potential consequences. It is essential that the board and management, along with other key stakeholders such as the regulator and investors, have confidence in the proposal.

Jason Murphy

Matthew Reast

The market landscape alongside financial risk management has grown increasingly complex during recent years. Centrus Advisors give an overview of how finance professionals should best steer through these challenges. Treasury and risk management The role of finance is even more critical and diverse. Dealings and exchange of information with both internal stakeholders and external stakeholders are more demanding and timeconsuming while senior management and shareholders are even more engaged in reviewing the risks that could impact the financial health of the organisation.

Following the financial crisis, regulatory frameworks provide greater transparency but are demanding from an information and process point of view. Bank institutions have experienced deterioration in credit quality, lower credit appetite and have fewer resources, but at the same time regulatory changes have increased their operational and

A holistic approach to financial risk management is imperative for a finance team to achieve both strategic and operational objectives. A best-in-class risk management programme spans from organisational alignment and policy design to accounting, reporting and monitoring. The following steps are key to building a robust framework: Strategic and quantitative assessment of financial risk exposures The identification and evaluation process is an assessment phase involving: •

review existing risk management framework;

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benchmark against peer group companies with similar risk profiles;

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gather reliable data such as existing and forecasted business and financial exposures;

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construct the appropriate key performance indicator (e.g. gearing, interest covenants); and

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quantify, by analysing the data, the impact of different market movements to the relevant metric(s) at risk.

A detailed and coherent debt strategy which is driven by your business plan will assist greatly in mitigating key financial risks. The strategy should balance the key factors between maturity (and the stability of same), the quantum of debt (including the optimum capital structure analysis), the cost of debt (together with any hedging policy) and the level of security given (recourse versus nonrecourse, level of asset security etc.).

Effective treasury management involves: •

understanding and quantifying the key financial risks in your business;

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creating and maintain a business plan which has the support of all stakeholders;

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designing and implementing an effective debt strategy; and

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consistently updating your overall treasury strategy to take account of the changing environment.

Technology should be combined with expertise so that finance can produce high quality information and interpret this information appropriately to meet the demanding requirements of internal compliance, auditors and regulators.

Jason Murphy, Managing Director Matthew Reast, Director Centrus Advisors 40 Fitzwilliam Square West Dublin 2 T: +353 (0)1 905 8642 E: jason.murphy@centrusadvisors.com matthew.reast@centrusadvisors.com W: www.centrusadvisors.com

A dvertorial

At Centrus Advisors, we advise many clients in the housing association and infrastructure sector across the UK and Republic of Ireland on their business plans and Treasury Management Policies to meet financial standards and funder requirements. Such policies need to incorporate the key treasury risks of the organisation such as liquidity risk, credit counterparty risk, interest rate risk, operational risk, and legal and regulatory risk. Financial standards require the treasury function to also detail some key areas such as decision making, performance measurement, segregation of duties and reporting requirements.

compliance needs as well as their returnon-capital requirements.

Ireland’s housing magazine

Efficient implementation of the desired debt strategy

Credible business planning A business plan should serve as the centrepiece in helping boards and 51

Ireland’s housing magazine

The emergence of Build to Rent

Vantage Apartment Complex, Sandyford, Dublin 18. Kennedy Wilson.

CBRE Director Tim MacMahon examines the potential of the Build to Rent (BTR) concept for Ireland.

A dvertorial

Over the last number of years, investors globally have become increasingly interested in ‘alternative’ routes to investment in real estate as they seek to generate better returns and diversify their investment portfolios. Moving away somewhat from the traditional office and retail sectors, which heretofore have dominated investor wish lists, we have seen increased interest in, and demand for, investment in new niche areas of real estate where returns are driven by emerging macro-trends and which as a consequence tend to have countercyclical characteristics. One of these sectors is Build to Rent

(BTR) which is gaining huge traction and has the potential to become very important in an Irish context. Build to Rent describes the practice of delivering purpose-built residential rental accommodation and associated amenity space that is designed with the sole purpose of being used as long-term rental accommodation and professionally owned and managed by an institutional landlord. The sector has become increasingly attractive to investors, developers and funders alike and considering the severe supply shortages inherent in Dublin and many other Irish cities, it is a sector that we are going to

hear a lot more about in the Irish market over the next few years. The concept of ‘Build to Rent’ is one that is firmly established in many jurisdictions such as the US, where it is now regarded as a mainstream sector offering superior returns to other more traditional forms of investment. Indeed, in 2016, Build to Rent was a $250 billion debt and equity market in the US. More recently, Build to Rent has gained popularity in Europe and in the UK but is as yet only at an embryonic stage in the Irish market. This is about to change as the Irish housing sector becomes professionalised and delivery increasingly supported and delivered by institutional capital. Investment in multifamily residential (which didn’t exist as a mainstream investment sector in Ireland five years ago) has been increasing in popularity over recent years, accounting for 6 per cent of overall investment spend in Ireland in 2016, up from 4 per cent the previous year. However, many of the

buildings that have traded as multifamily investments are conversions of schemes that were originally built with the intention of being sold. The key differentiator between the multifamily concept and Build to Rent is that the latter is designed from the outset with long-term rental in mind.

Although Ireland has traditionally been associated with high levels of homeownership, this has been changing over recent decades. Indeed, according to the most recent census of the 2016 population, 29 per cent of citizens are now renting their accommodation, with higher rates observed in the principal cities (36 per cent in Dublin for instance). Over 497,000 households in Ireland are

There remains a trade-off between the

With the general population now more disposed towards renting and severe supply shortages prevailing in capital cities such as Dublin we expect that the Build to Rent sector will grow exponentially over the next few years. The Government are understandably keen to support the development of a large-scale, institutionally funded and professionally managed purpose-built residential accommodation in order to increase and improve the stock of rental accommodation in the Irish market which will also support the development of this new concept over the next few years. Indeed, in the Government’s Rebuilding Ireland – Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness document, there is an acknowledgement that Build to Rent projects can play an important role in addressing critical shortages of rental accommodation in areas of high demand. The Minister for Housing has therefore specifically requested under a Specific Planning Policy Requirement under Section 28 of the Planning Act that planning authorities and An Bord Pleanala prioritise all necessary actions to deliver build to rent housing schemes.

responded to the increased availability of

From a funding perspective, domestic and international banks are active in the residential Build to Rent sector, particularly where the schemes are in locations with proven rental demand and the sponsor can demonstrate a high degree of cost certainty. However, they recognise that only certain schemes are optimised for major institutional investors. There are also a number of debt funds with local underwriting teams who are looking to deploy capital into the market. These providers understand the residential supply constraints, which is an advantage over other alternative lenders.

know ledge on the Build to Rent

amount of equity committed and the cost and/or covenant terms of the funding facility. Furthermore, the banks have funding from the debt funds to accommodate different sponsor requirements. There is no doubt but that we will hear more about Build to Rent in an Irish context over the next few years. However, Build to Rent will only be viable in certain locations and on the basis that this asset class is generally assessed, valued, managed, bought and sold in a very different manner to traditional residential investment, there is a steep learning curve involved in getting familiar with this new asset class. The need for professional advice is therefore critical.

Tim M acM ahon D irector,D evelopm ent & ResidentialCapitalM arkets CBRE Ireland E:tim .m acm ahon@ cbre.com T:01 6185 55782 Tim has built up specialist m arket concept and is currently advising developers,investors and funders

A dvertorial

CBRE’s Build to Rent Equity Barometer shows that there is £27.7 billion worth of equity targeting the UK Build to Rent (BTR) sector over the next five years and we firmly believe that there is potential for some of this capital to be attracted to invest in Build to Rent in the Irish market. The research suggests that almost half of the capital chasing Build to Rent opportunities in the UK market originates from North America. With the main constraint for investors continuing to be a lack of available stock and the ratio of deployable equity to marketed stock currently at 14:1, some of these investors are now looking for opportunities in the Irish market considering the wellpublicised housing shortages prevailing in cities such as Dublin.

now renting, rebalancing the proportion of households who are owner-occupied vs. renting, from almost an 80:20 split to a 70:30 split (between 2006 and 2016).

Ireland’s housing magazine

Build to Rent schemes are generally of a very high quality design and with ready access to amenities such as residents lounges, gyms, entertainment rooms and cinema rooms as well as being located close to good quality public transport nodes. Amenities are generally provided within the overall development with a high degree of public space provided to facilitate socialising and foster community. Good quality in-house management are on hand to take care of maintenance and provide a high level of support for residents within the development. Residents within Build to Rent schemes are willing to pay a premium for the additional benefits that living in a high quality purpose-built scheme that is tailored to their needs offers over traditional rental accommodation. Investors on the other hand are attracted to a sector that offers stable long-term income potential and is less susceptible to cyclical variations than other traditional real estate sectors.

“Build to Rent is as yet only at an embryonic stage in the Irish market but this is about to change.”

w ho are keen to get involved in Build to Rent in an Irish context. Tim w orks closely w ith BTR experts in other C BRE offices in UK,Europe and the USA and recently delivered an address at an international Build to Rent conference in C hicago,USA.

Ireland’s housing magazine

Measuring liveability Jon Copestake Chief Retail and Consumer Goods Analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit debates what makes a city liveable. What is liveability? “Liveability has come to mean a lot of things to a lot of people over the years, when I started using the term 15 years ago it really wasn’t in common usage, liveability as a topic has become a living breathing discussion term in its own right,” Copestake explains. “I’ll start off by dispelling a huge myth about liveability – the most liveable city isn’t necessarily the best city.” In measuring liveability and quantifying it, Copestake stresses that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” The survey is not looking for the ‘best city’ as this brings different opinions and subjectivity. “It is examining the obstacles that may present themselves to someone’s lifestyle in a city. Therefore, the most liveable city is not necessarily the ‘best’, simply the least challenging in which to live.” According to Copestake, the big challenge is that the liveability survey is global examining 140 cities worldwide. The five categories used to evaluate a city are: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and

infrastructure. Scores are given where one is ideal and five is intolerable. These are weighted to generate a score where 100 is ideal. “What does the score mean? One of the problems with producing a ranking is that people tend to focus on the position of a city rather than the score it has achieved. It is the tier a city receives that matters,” says Copestake. “What’s the point? How does this relate to the world? Liveability began life as a means of measuring hardship for expatriate allowances. It still fulfils that role with different liveability scores reflecting different levels of hardship remuneration. However, now it is widely used as a benchmarking tool for cities to compare themselves to one another. Liveability has widely become a term that defines city development strategies to attract talent and investment.” Copestake was taken by surprise by the amount of public interest in the survey and views the feedback as valuable as it allows citizens to express pride or air grievances.

“The debate around liveability is an ongoing dialogue.” Copestake evaluates what is missing from the survey and explains that there is always room for improvement. The survey doesn’t account for cost of living and affordability. This is a deliberate omission as it is viewed as being a separate topic. Another factor is that data gathered from some cities is poor. Bringing together enough data at city level is a challenge. The third factor is that environmental or green space is not included. He does draw attention to other projects in this area. “When I look at the needs of a city I try and look at the needs of an individual.” He draws parallels to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs which identifies a pyramid of priorities starting with physical needs to assess fulfilment. “In a similar way cities need to begin with the basics before building up to address more sophisticated needs. You need stability to support infrastructure, which in turn supports healthcare etc. Cultural availability is usually strongest when supported by all these factors.”

100

Rating (100=ideal) 80

Ireland’s housing magazine

Of the 140 cities surveyed 65 are in the top tier of liveability. Fewer and fewer cities in the worst category as data can only be collected where it is safe to do so and many cities that are war torn are omitted. “Cities are always seeking selfimprovement. Cities themselves are designed to be liveable spaces. Generally speaking cities can be judged as quite liveable. The best performers tend to be mid-sized cities in developed countries with low population densities. Cities with a “big city buzz” fare less well thanks to the strain population places on infrastructure and crime rates. Cities that fare worst see the impact of instability affecting other areas, especially infrastructure, healthcare and culture.”

is a conundrum for people working in town planning: Do they want a city to be more liveable or do they want a city to be economically successful? Because a city that is economically successful doesn’t always have all of the things that make it liveable.

Lagos Damascus

Kiev

Karachi

Tehran

Jakarta Nairobi Ho Chi Minh City Caracas

Mumbai

Mexico City

Guatemala City

Amman

Bangkok Manila Riyadh

Sao Paulo Belgrade

Johannesburg

Rio de Janeiro

Moscow Shanghai

Athens Kuala Lumpur Beijing Tel Aviv

Warsaw

Rome London New York Detroit

Dublin

Manchester Atlanta

Madrid

Paris Singapore

Berlin Oslo Amsterdam Lyon

Wellington

Perth

Melbourne Vancouver

Sydney Tokyo Zurich

Rating (100=ideal)

even cities that do well complain.” Copestake points out an ugly truth that the most liveable safest cities can also be a bit dull and boring. On the other hand, cities that are vibrant may not be the best place to raise a family. “When you are planning a city you want to do so without making it bland – you want to keep its individuality and what makes it interesting, in a way finding a hybrid between liveability and interesting.

“Liveability is increasingly becoming a PR tool for cities to use when demonstrating their international prowess. The prestige that a high score brings is perceived as driving investment and goodwill towards a city. However, when it comes down to it you can never please everyone. Cities that fare poorly will object. Cities that see themselves bettered by neighbours will object and

“Liveability has come to mean all things to all people in the global debate on how to improve cities. It has been discussed at community and local level at a granular level – citizens of cities talking about their specific environment.”

H ow D ublin fares (ranked 42nd)

Dublin Dublin is ranked 42nd in the list of cities and is the only Irish city surveyed. The survey has a global emphasis and Dublin’s score tends to reflect that of many relatively large developed city economies. It scores well for education, healthcare and culture. However, the popularity it enjoys weighs on infrastructure and stability slightly. “Like many cities of this size it does suffer from a bit of its own success, such as infrastructural planning. Congestion is a problem and it has a higher crime rate than cities like Melbourne. These are factors that can affect people but doesn’t affect day-to-day life. I think this

Liveability rating (1-100, 100=ideal) Stability rating Healthcare rating Culture and environment rating Education rating Infrastructure rating 60

100

Ireland’s exploding housing emergency Housing Output 1995-2016 (source: CSO) 100,000 90,000 80,000 70,000 60,000 50,000 40,000

Ireland’s housing magazine

30,000 20,000 10,000 16

96 97 19

Figure 1: Housing output, 1995-2014.

Ireland is currently in the middle of a housing emergency with increasing demand for housing and growing levels of homelessness. It is a critical issue for the Government. The big question is how did it happen and how can it be resolved. The reason for this significant demand for housing can be traced back to the end of the Celtic Tiger and the subsequent property and economic crash

of 2007-2013. At the height of the Celtic Tiger, in excess of 90,000 dwelling units were constructed in 2006. However, housing output effectively ceased during

Figure 2: Predicted versus actual housing demand.

Predicted Annual Housing Demand

Actual Annual Housing Demand

25,000 units

45,000 units

PR EPL AN Decision of An Bord Pleanála

Sketch proposals & Pre-planning meeting with Planning Authority

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Lodgment of Planning Appeal to An Bord Pleanála

A dvertorial

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Figure 3: Estimated timeline for preparation of large housing application.

PLANNING PROCESS Final Council Decision

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Lodgement of Planning Application to Planning Authority

PL AP

the recession with little housing being built, other than rural one-off houses. In comparison to 2006, just 11,000 dwellings were constructed in 2014. This dramatic reduction in housing output has had a serious impact on the provision of social housing as well as private accommodation with many potential first time buyers being unable to get onto the property ladder (evidenced by increased percentage of dwellings being rented as opposed to owner-occupied). A national housing emergency and crisis is now in full swing, which is being exacerbated by an increasing population and employment, especially within the Greater Dublin Area. Ireland’s housing stock now stands at 2,003,645 units (Census 2016). In order to overcome the exploding demand for housing and to solve the housing crisis, it is now critical that we match the State’s population growth with housing supply. Traditionally, this ratio stood at close to 3:2 and would be an acceptable ratio after the current housing crisis has been resolved. However, it currently stands at an unsustainable ratio of 20:1 over the last five years. Not only is it important that there is a sustainable increase in housing output that caters for the existing pent-up demand, but also enough to cater for the long term needs of the future population growth. In this regard, supply must be demand-led and not supply-led, i.e. the right type of housing must be provided at the right locations. The issues paper for the National Planning Framework (NPF) predicts that the State’s population will grow to at least 5.4 million persons and will require at least 25,000 new homes to be constructed each year. However, Downey Planning and Architecture predict that this figure will be on the low-side and will not meet the real demand for housing when factors such as obsolescence and rising headship (smaller households) are taken into account. It is anticipated that a figure of 45,000 units per annum is more realistic to resolve the current crisis. While the need to provide additional dwelling units is undeniable, there is a clear need to improve the efficiency with which new dwellings can be provided and to reduce the uncertainty around planning that causes difficulties for potential investors and lending

institutions. Many large-scale planning applications can take up to 18 months to progress from inception through to a final grant of permission. Fast-Track Planning

Statutory Compliance Process

Efficient Planning Process and Housing Supply Infrastructure

John Downey MIPI MRTPI, is a Chartered Town Planner with over 20 years’ experience both in Ireland and the United Kingdom working in private planning consultancies and local government. He is the Managing Director of Downey Planning and Architecture and previously worked as a Senior Executive Planner with Fingal County Council. John is also currently the Chair of the Irish Branch of the Royal Town Planning

Ireland’s housing magazine

The Government’s strategy ‘Rebuilding Ireland’ has earmarked a number of initiatives and there have been many changes to the Planning and Development Act that are intended to increase output for both social and private housing. Such measures include the change to Part Five, infrastructure funding to facilitate housing, vacant site levy and the new fast-track planning system for Strategic Housing Developments (100+ units or 200+ student accommodation), which would require qualifying applications to be processed by An Bord Pleanála directly with a statutory timeframe of 16 weeks. Another area that should be considered to speed up housing output would be for a statutory decision period being attached to planning compliances as these often cause delays at construction stage as well as difficulties for developers to obtain the necessary finance to complete developments.

Figure 4: Steps for an efficient planning process and housing supply.

Simple Part V

Institute (RTPI) and is their representative on the European Council of Town Planners.

For more information please contact: John Downey, Managing Director W: www.downeyplanning.ie T: 01 253 0220 E: john.downey@downeyplanning.ie

A dvertorial 57

Ireland’s housing magazine

Digital housing Chief Executive of the UK’s Halton Housing Trust, Nick Atkin, outlines the driving factors behind his organisation’s Digital First strategy and the benefits it brings to both the business and the customer. The assumption that people who live in social housing don’t have access to the internet is a lazy myth according to Nick Atkin. Having spoken to over five and a half thousand customers in Halton’s 7,000 homes, he found that over three quarters have access to the internet themselves and a further 12 per cent

know where to get access to the internet, be it in a public library or with friends or relatives. At the heart of the Digitial First approach was the need to rethink the way services were delivered to prepare for the introduction of Universal Credit in England. Previously, housing benefit was

paid directly to landlords, but under Universal Credit, benefits are now paid directly to the customers, who are then required to pay their landlord. In the case of Halton, they found that they would now have to find a way to collect 65 per cent of their income, which they were used to receiving directly.

“We are having to transform our services to respond to spiralling arrears, most of which are Universal Credit based. To collect 65 per cent of our annual income, which for us is around £25 million, we were faced with the choice of either employing lots more people or moving resources from non-value adding transactional type activity to supporting and getting money in where it needs to happen.” Atkin explains that the most successful element of their digital transition by far has been their app, which is tailored to ensure the customer can access their required service in three clicks. To date, Halton estimate that over 95 per cent of the services which their customers contact their landlord for, on a daily basis, can be resolved online. “The switch to digital requires a shift in psychology. If people are going to switch to self-serve there must be an incentive for them to do so, the system must be trustworthy and effective. If you get the system right, then our experience clearly demonstrates people will choose to switch to digital provision in their thousands.” Among some of the key “lifeblood” statistics which Halton use to assess their service, Atkin points out that contrary to the common belief that people prefer to deal with people, customer satisfaction levels for Halton are the highest they have ever been at 95 per cent. Other interesting figures show that, as of January 2017, 76.4 per cent of customer led transactions are now digital and that calls to their centre have reduced by 75 per cent over three years. This has led to half the number of people working in their contact centre compared to just 12 months previously. Concluding, Atkin points to five key questions housing providers should put

Ireland’s housing magazine

The growth of internet accessibility was a key factor in Halton’s drive to offer their services digitally and saw them set out ambitious targets in 2015 to ensure that 90 per cent of all customer generated transactions would be delivered through online self-service routes by 2018. The decision, according to Atkin, was driven by the financial reality that the average cost of one inperson transaction for the Trust was £15, starkly contrasting with the 10p average cost of a self-service digital transaction. Atkin adds proudly that Halton have reduced that further to just 3p for their own service.

“The switch to digital requires a shift in psychology.” at the forefront of their plans to switch to digital: 1. What are your digital aspirations?

digitally competent from contacting you in the more traditional or less cost effective ways?

2. What buy-in do you have from your executive team and board on your digital aspirations?

4. What is your organisation’s approach to mobile, flexible/agile working?

3. What plans do you have to reduce the availability of some services to discourage customers who are

5. To what extent is digital embedded as a key enabler in your organisation’s wider strategic plans?

Digital First strategy implementation comparison Sep-14

Feb-17

Contact via digital

51%

Digital transactions

79%

Proactive live chat

91 (Apr 15)

728

CST incoming calls

7,725

2,500

Outgoing calls to customers Face to face (home or office) Internal emails sent

-60% 1200

300

56,000/mth

35,000/mth

Ireland’s housing magazine

RTÉ sells part of its Montrose site for housing: the price €107 million RTÉ has agreed a deal to sell just under nine acres of land at its Donnybrook campus in Dublin to Cairn Homes for €107.5 million. The agreed sale price for the 8.64 acres of land far exceeded the guide price of €75 million, set by estate agents Savills. London-listed Cairn Homes said the Donnybrook site was a “prime location in a unique setting which has strong 60

potential for apartment development”.

The company plans to develop up to 500 apartments and nine houses on the site and the transaction is expected to close during July 2017. RTÉ Director General Dee Forbes says the decision to sell the land was taken because RTÉ has been operating with vastly reduced commercial and licence

fee income of about €100 million annually. She adds that the funds raised will be invested in capital projects, including much-needed technology upgrades and key digital infrastructure, as well as making changes to the organisational structure, essential workplace

Ireland’s housing magazine

Artist’s impression of Montrose development.

improvements and reducing debt. RTÉ has lost €100 million in revenue since 2008, while income from licence fees and commercials has dropped. “RTÉ lost €10 million in advertising revenue alone as a result of Brexit and a curtailment of advertising spend last year,” says Dee Forbes. “RTÉ has been operating with vastly reduced commercial and licence fee income, now in the region of €330 million, compared to €440 million in 2008, and has been under-investing in the organisation for nearly a decade now. “That is unsustainable. The funds from the land sale will be used to invest in much-needed technology upgrades and in key digital infrastructure, to reduce debt levels, and to carry out other essential workplace improvements. “The reality is that RTÉ has maintained services and output on vastly reduced income. That is no longer sustainable. The current licence fee, at just over 40 cent per day is, I believe, great value. “Any notion that it be doubled is nonsense. What I am focused on is reform of the fee collection system to recover some €40 million per annum that is lost to the entire Irish media sector every year through evasion.” RTÉ has confirmed that funds raised from the land sale will not be used against operational deficits.

“The single land holding at Donnybrook represents one of the largest, predominantly residential, development opportunities in Dublin 4.” Dee Forbes added: “This does not represent a bonanza or a windfall for RTÉ. Rather, RTÉ is playing catch-up in an industry and market that is evolving rapidly.” According to Savills, the single land holding at Donnybrook represents one of the largest, predominantly residential, development opportunities in Dublin 4 and is being sold with a detailed feasibility study for a high-quality housing scheme, designed by O’Mahony Pike Architects. Cairn Homes’ Chief Executive Michael Stanley believes Montrose represents Dublin’s most attractive residential development site. “At Cairn, we believe in building exceptional homes in great locations and the Montrose site will significantly add to the new homes we will bring to the market over the coming years,” he says. Cairn Homes company is currently

undertaking major apartment developments at both Marianella in Rathgar and 6 Hanover Quay in Dublin city centre. The overall property, earmarked now for development, forms part of the existing RTÉ Montrose complex, which consists of approximately 32.12 Acres. The site also accommodates one protected structure called Mount Errol House, dating from the 19th century, which is currently used as office accommodation and for training purposes. The subject lands have the benefit of two access points, one off Ailesbury Road and the other via a new, dedicated junction off the Stillorgan Road. This will be completed by Quarter 1 2018. However, there has been no confirmation as to whether project ‘Project Montrose’ will contain an element of social housing within its remit. Current Irish planning guidelines indicate that such should be the case.

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Designing for mental health Isoilde Dillon, an architect with the Housing Agency, and Áine O’Reilly, an occupational therapist with the Health Service Executive on the Design for Mental Health plan. It is estimated that one in four people will experience mental health problems at some point during their lives. Mental illness is a broad concept that encompasses a series of conditions including anxiety disorder, depression, hypomania, bipolar disorder, psychosis and schizophrenia. The impact upon independent living is interwoven with the impacts of treatment and the characteristics of an individual’s immediate physical and social environment. For instance, many of those who suffer from mental health issues experience lower rates of employment, do not socialise regularly, simultaneously possess physical disorders and are subject to both social stigma and violent crime.

The Design for Mental Health document is a product of cooperation between the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Housing Agency and establishes the guidelines for the promotion of independent living and mental health recovery. The guidance has a wide

target audience ranging from architects and design professionals to local authorities and housing bodies, and service users to health service professionals.

Rationale Contextualising the emergence of the plan, Áine O’Reilly outlines that following the HSE liquidation of a portion of its property assets, a series of infrastructure projects were undertaken with the recouped capital. While she acknowledges that most of these were successful, O’Reilly expressed reservation concerning an old plan for high support hostels with 18 beds. Emphasising her perspective as an occupational therapist, she believes that some of the features of institutions inevitably work against the people who live in them in terms of their skills and abilities. O’Reilly notes: “Our management team asked me to suggest an alternative. So, I found a wealth of material on housing

models and choice, strategies for housing people with disabilities, the impact of the built environment on public mental health in general and a huge body of literature on the range of disabilities experienced by those with severe and enduring mental health problems. “There is also a significant volume of literature on the design of psychiatric hospitals and long-term facilities, inclusive architecture, as well as design guidance for specific groups. However, there was nothing on design guidance to bypass or overcome the specific difficulties experienced by those diagnosed with mental health conditions.” Thus, the origin of the guidelines lay with the objective of identifying alternative designs for homes which could facilitate the deconstruction of barriers to independent living for those diagnosed with mental health conditions. This rationale is in line with the Irish Government’s overarching strategy on

mental health which, at its core, is committed to community care and recovery. However, in the wake of the closure of psychiatric institutions there is an increased urgency to provide suitable homes for those with mental health disorders.

“We sent this out to a variety of groups including the housing associations and health professionals. There were a lot of people interested in this area. Having put together such a group of people with such expertise, we suddenly had to complete this project. “An initial task listed in the terms of reference was the identification of the difficulties concerning independent living. Having read the literature alongside the health professionals, there were three broad sets of difficulties that we came across. “Cognitive difficulties are the feature that most defines the degree to which a person with mental health difficulties will experience disability. The more prominent this set of difficulties is, the more intense the disability that the person is likely to experience. Physical difficulties include lifestyle choices or medication side effects such as weight gain and tremors. The social difficulties are a whole separate set of problems. They range from things like income to social stigma. The considerations are myriad. “All of these things were considered and blended into the mix when constructing our document. Examples of the kind of recommendations that can be found in the guidelines include design solutions for gardens belonging to people with cognitive difficulties. None of it is rocket science, but it is a combination of small and inexpensive measures which blend together to make a significant difference. “Some design solutions can alleviate poor self-care. An exceptionally well organised environment, which

incorporates things like labels, prompt signals and anticipates other design consequences can ensure substantial benefits for a service user with cognitive difficulties. Again, it doesn’t sound like rocket science, but what we’ve tried to achieve is a thoroughness through our document,” she explains. What resulted was a handbook which, through the design of homes, can make it as easy as possible for a person with a severe and enduring mental health difficulty to live independently. It places emphasis on seemingly minor things which can make a huge difference.

The document Isoilde Dillon provides an overview of the 120-page document itself. “It is aimed primarily at the service users themselves, people with mental health difficulties and their families. The wider audience also includes housing practitioners, occupational therapists, other healthcare professionals and architects. There are four sections within the document including an overview section, one on the home, one on spaces within the home and a final one on detailed design.” The document stems from a series of principles, connected to associated considerations and subsequent recommendations. An example provided by Dillon concerns the principle of optimal levels of artificial lighting. “Some of the considerations may concern the fact that a high proportion of service users may have visual acuity problems, or may not respond appropriately to changes in lighting. The recommendations would then be built around that. In this instance, they could include dedicated task lighting, using seasonal affective disorder boxes or even having automatic controls on blinds. This can make the difference to ensure that someone lives comfortably in their home.”

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O’Reilly elaborates: “We put together terms of reference outlining the existing literature, the guidance gap in mental health and what we wanted to achieve. The terms of reference concerned the identification of difficulties in independent living experienced by people with severe and enduring mental health problems and the environmental influences on mental wellbeing. We also wanted to investigate how design can support people to compensate for their disability, to maximise their independence and to integrate into their community. Furthermore, we aimed to develop a guideline containing practical design and technology solutions.

“Technology is going to make a huge difference to independent living.” Assistive technology Assistive technology, such as telecare, can provide remote monitoring and rapid response to enable independent living for those diagnosed with mental health disorders. The technology can identify the occurrence of adverse events through sensors linked to monitoring centres. This has the dual advantage of providing reassurance for both service users and their families. Specifically relating to mental health, such technology can circumvent relapse through early detection of behavioural shifts. However, effectiveness relies upon the perceived usefulness of the product, its ease of assimilation into daily living and, crucially, the challenges posed to privacy and independence as an objective. As such, the Design for Mental Health recommends that service users be consulted during the design process to ensure that an assistive technology package is both suitable and beneficial. O’Reilly maintains: “Technology is going to make a huge difference to independent living and it’s a really exciting area of Design for Mental Health. It provides carer reassurance, because one of the major difficulties is that people are worried that if someone is on their own that something awful could happen to them. If we think through all the possible scenarios and design around them, it can help. “Hopefully more and more people with very complex needs can be supported to live within their own, independent environment. What happens when people get into institutions is that a vicious cycle initiates and a person becomes less able to live independently, whereas if you place people in their own homes, with reduced environmental stressors, a more benign cycle takes place. I know that’s quite idealistic, but it does happen. We see people who were living in institutions for years, getting their own homes and subsequently blossoming within their local communities.”

Ireland’s housing magazine

W ho’s who Jim Baneham Jim Baneham is Internal Audit O fficer at the H ousing Agency. Jim graduated from D IT Bolton Street in 1989 as a C hartered Q uantity Surveyor. Soon after he began w orking w ith the N ational Building Agency (N BA) specifically, in the area ofdelivery ofsocialhousing and other local authority facilities. From 2007 Jim m oved into a corporate role w ithin the N BA and then joined the H ousing Agency in 2011. It w as there he helped develop the AH B funding m odel.Since then he has gone on to be H ead ofH ousing Supply and H ead ofthe M ortgage Support Section.

H ugh Brennan H ugh Brennan is C EO and C oFounder of Ó C ualann C ohousing A lliance C LG alongside W illiam Black. H ugh’s vision is for fully integrated, m ixed-incom e affordable housing. He believes in building com m unities not just houses and the need to change the w ay w e address housing needs in Ireland. H ugh is currently building 49, A2 rated,affordable co-operative hom es w ith support from D ublin C ity C ouncilin a com m unity w here: people get to know their neighbours before they m ove in;there is a focus on looking out for each other; m ortgages that do not cripple people, houses are w elldesigned,energy efficient,safe and secure.

G erard Cahillane G erard C ahillane is a D eputy D irector of the N ationalTreasury M anagem ent Agency and H ead of Finance and O perations for the N ational D evelopm ent Finance Agency.H e has been w ith the N D FA since 2004. Prior to joining the N D FA,he w as H ead ofRisk in N TM A w ith responsibility for funding and liquidity m anagem ent and benchm arking of the national debt.Priorto joining the N TM A in 1991,he w orked forsix years in the Budget and Planning D ivision of the D epartm ent of Finance.

Rosalind Carroll Rosalind C arrollw as appointed as D irector of the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) in April 2016. Rosalind w as form erly H ead of Regulation of Approved H ousing Bodies at the H ousing Agency w hich w as setup in 2010 by governm ent to support local authorities, approved housing bodies, and the D epartm ent of Environm ent, C om m unity and Local G overnm ent, in the delivery of housing and housing services. She has considerable experience in the housing sector, having previously w orked in the D epartm ent of Environm ent, C om m unity and LocalG overnm ent and D ublin C ity C ouncil.

N eilCollins Sim on Brooke Sim on Brooke is H ead ofPolicy at C lúid H ousing. The overarching aim of Sim on’s w ork is a com m itm ent to m aking the provision of safe, secure, affordable housing a practical reality for as m any people as possible w hilst at the sam e tim e providing best value for m oney for the State. H e does this by leading the developm ent and prom otion of innovative housing policy initiatives that assist C lúid in the delivery and m anagem ent of high quality social housing. H e has m any years’ experience w orking in housing and hom elessness,both in Ireland and the UK. Sim on is a part-tim e Assistant Professor in the School of SocialW ork and SocialPolicy at Trinity C ollege D ublin.

N eilC ollins is a D irector in KPM G C orporate Finance and has over 20 years’experience advising on property, capital and infrastructure projects, including residential and social housing projects. N eil is C hairm an of the International Project Finance Association in Ireland and has been heavily involved in prom oting structures to allow institutionalinvestm ent to support delivery of large scale social housing developm ent in Ireland. N eil has advised a num ber of private, institutional and AH B clients in relation to residentialand socialhousing funding issues.

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W ho’s who M ichele C onnolly is H ead of KPM G C orporate Finance and has over 20 years’ experience advising on property,capitaland infrastructure projects, including residential and social housing projects. M ichele is an Executive M em ber of Ibec’s Property Industry Ireland and C hair of its Funding C om m ittee,a board m em berofthe N ationalM aternity H ospital and a form er C ouncil m em ber of the D ublin C ham ber of C om m erce (and m em ber of its Infrastructure C om m ittee). M ichele has been heavily involved in the policy debate on residentialand socialhousing sectors through herrole in PIIand funding advice to clients including residential developers (including exit from N AM A), Approved H ousing Bodies, new lending platform s, deleveraging banks and new platform s to facilitate institutionalinvestm ent into the sector.

Fiona Corm ican Fiona C orm ican is C lúid H ousing’s N ew Business D irector and has overallresponsibility for im plem enting an am bitious grow th strategy; to generate an additional2,500 high quality units w orth over half a billion euro in the next three years. Fiona has over 18 years’ experience in the delivery of social housing projects. H er N ew Business team are com m itted to raising the standard in socialhousing design and delivery,and bringing a high levelofprofessionalism to the sector.They w ork in partnership w ith developers, local authorities, the D epartm ent of H ousing, Planning and Local G overnm ent, the H ousing Finance Agency and others to deliver sustainable hom es and com m unities.

Tim Crow ley Tim C row ley is H ead of Finance and C om pany Secretary at Ó C ualann C ohousing A lliance C LG . Tim is responsible for fundraising strategy and im plem entation. H e is a C hartered Accountant w ith an M Sc in Sustainable Energy Finance from D C U. Tim w orked at Pw C in London and M oscow as a senior m anager in corporate finance and restructuring. Tim w as co-founder of Pace Soft Silicon, an Irish funded,India based video technology com pany w hich w as sold to N vidia, a Silicon Valley acquirer, in 2006. Tim has extensive experience ofraising private and public finance for early stage and innovation ventures.

Ireland’s housing magazine

M ichele Connolly

N iallCussen N iall C ussen is the Principal A dviser (Planning) in the Planning,Land M anagem entand H ousing M arket D ivision of the D epartm entofH ousing,Planning and Local G overnm ent. N iall is responsible for advancing strategic planning and developm ent policy at national and regional levels. N iall has also led the delivery of the G overnm ent’s action program m e on unfinished housing developm ents, leads strategic planning input into housing policies and actions and is a m em ber of the D ublin H ousing Supply and C o-ordination Task Force.N iallalso leads the Forw ard Planning Section.

John D ow ney John D ow ney is the M anaging D irector ofD ow ney Planning and Architecture, a m ulti-disciplinary practice of C hartered Tow n Planners, RIAI Architects, Urban D esigners and Project M anagers. D ow ney Planning and Architecture boasts an extensive skill-base w ith decades ofexperience perfectly suited to delivering a one-stop professional service for com pletion of developm ents, including socialhousing schem es for Approved H ousing Bodies.The com pany’s collective ethos is to perfectthe ‘art ofplanning and design’to deliver projects for clients w ithin the construction sector.The com pany specialise in architecture, m asterplans, planning applications, discharging com pliances, Part V, construction packages, on-site supervision, assigned certification,fire safety and disability access certificates.

Pat D ow ling PatD ow ling w as appointed C hief Executive of C lare C ounty C ouncilin Septem ber 2016. H e joins the organisation w ith a w ealth of experience in local governm ent, rural developm ent and com m unity developm ent. Pat previously w orked w ith Lim erick C ity and C ounty C ouncilw ith responsibility for social developm ent, including housing and the Regeneration Program m e.H e w as assigned the task ofm anaging the m erger ofboth Lim erick C ouncils. Priorto joining Lim erick C orporation, Patw orked w ith Kildare LeaderC om pany and M acra na Feirm e.

Ireland’s housing magazine

W ho’s who Pat D oyle PatD oyle w as appointed C EO of Peter M cVerry Trust in late 2005. H is role is to lead on the strategic direction of the charity. For the last 27 years, Pat has w orked in the area of social inclusion, m anaging a range of initiatives, projects and organisations that w ork w ith m arginalised young people at risk of hom elessness, addiction and those w ithin residential care settings and crim inal justice institutions. In addition to being C EO of Peter M cVerry Trust, he is a m em ber of w ide range ofcom m unity organisations,taskforces,sectoralw orking groups and sits on a num ber ofState boards.

D avid D uffy D avid D uffy is D irectorofProperty Industry Ireland (PII), Ibec’s sectoral association for businesses in property and construction. Before joining PII, D avid w as a Senior Research O fficer at the ESRI, w here his m ain research area w as the housing m arket. H e has published on such housing m arket issues as m easuring house price change, negative equity, affordability, and household form ation. PII’s policy com m ittees address the issues of m arket supply and dem and,funding and financing, technical and construction issues and planning and developm ent. H e represents PII on the Rebuilding Ireland O versight C om m ittee.

D am ien English TD D am ien English TD w as appointed M inister of State for H ousing and Urban Renew al in M ay 2016. H e is a m em ber of the Fine G aelParliam entary Party representing the constituency of M eath W est. D am ien first stood for election in 1999 and w as elected to M eath C ounty C ouncil for the N avan electoralarea.In the 2002 generalelection,D am ien w as elected to the 29th D áilas TD for the M eath constituency. At 24 years of age he w as the youngest TD in the 29th D áil. D am ien w as elected secretary to the Fine G aelparliam entary party in 2002 and becam e the party deputy spokesperson on arts,sports and tourism .

D eirdre Fallon D eirdre Fallon is President of the Irish Planning Institute for 2016/17. She is a planner w ith over 10 years ofexperience.She holds a BA,a M asters in Regional and Urban Planning and a M asters of Science in G eography, Planning and Environm ental Policy from University C ollege D ublin. D eirdre has w orked w ith Louth C ounty C ouncil,M eath C ounty C ounciland in planning consultancy prior to joining South D ublin C ounty C ouncilin 2016.

Ray Fanning D eclan D unne D eclan D unne joined Respond! H ousing A ssociation as C hief Executive O fficer in A ugust 2016. D eclan’s last role w as as C hief Executive O fficer w ith Sophia H ousing Association. H e w as a D irector of the Ballym un Regeneration Board for 10 years, appointed by the D ublin C ity C ouncil C hief Executive. H e w as also C hair of its Audit C om m ittee w hich oversaw the Ballym un Regeneration M asterplan w ith an expenditure of€1 billion.H e served as a D irector ofthe N orth D ublin D evelopm entC oalition an Econom ic D evelopm entthink tank at D C U for nine years and w as a D irector of Ballym un W hitehallEnterprise C entre for 10 years.

Ray Fanning has been C om pany Treasurer of Respond! since M ay 2010. Prior to joining Respond! Ray had been em ployed in the private com m ercial sector for over 25 years and held a num ber of senior finance positions. H e previously w orked as Financial C ontroller for AC EC Ireland Ltd / ABB Transform ers. H e w as G roup Financial C ontroller for Fyffes Produce UK,M anagem ent C onsultant w ith Krom berg & Schubert (Ireland) Ltd and G roup Financial C ontroller of Avglade Lim ited. O riginally from W aterford, Ray also represents Respond!on the Finance Sub C om m ittee ofthe Irish C ouncilfor SocialH ousing (IC SH ).

Ireland’s housing magazine

W ho’s who AnnM arie Farrelly is D irector of Planning and Strategic Infrastructure at Fingal C ounty C ouncil. She w as appointed to her current role in Septem ber 2015 having previously held senior positions in housing, com m unity and econom ic developm ent. AnnM arie recently m anaged the delivery of the Fingal D evelopm ent Plan 2017-2023 w hich provides for over1,700 hectares ofresidentially zoned land w ith capacity for 49,000 hom es. She is a m em ber of the Program m e Board for M ajor Urban H ousing D elivery Sites w ith the D epartm ent of H ousing, Planning and Local G overnm ent and leads on the LocalInfrastructure H ousing Activation Fund in Fingalw hich w ill see an investm ent of €26.58 m illion in infrastructure yielding 2,800 housing units by 2021.

Claire Feeney C laire Feeney is Senior Executive O fficer at the H ousing Agency. She started her career in D ublin C ity C ouncil in the late 1980’s and spent a num ber of years on secondm ent to the then D epartm ent of Environm ent, H eritage and Local G overnm ent w orking on the com puterisation of M otor Tax O ffices and M otor Tax O nline. C laire m oved to the Lim erick Regeneration Agencies in 2007 w here she w orked as Project M anager for the Physical and Econom ical regeneration of M oyross, Southill, St M ary’s Park and Ballinacurra W eston.C laire took up hercurrentrole in 2012 on herreturn from Lim erick.She w orks as partofthe Supply and M ortgage Support Services w ithin the A gency w ith responsibility for the m anagem ent of the M ortgage to Rent Schem e and the im plem entation of the N ational H ousing Strategy for People w ith a D isability.

Ireland’s housing magazine

A nnM arie Farrelly

Pat Fitzpatrick Pat Fitzpatrick is a m em ber ofthe H ousing A gency senior m anagem entteam and heads up the AH B O ne-Stop-Shop.H e has been w ith the H ousing Agency since it w as established in 2009 and w as H ead of Regulation for the pastyear.Pathas previously w orked on the developm ent and im plem entation of the SocialH ousing C urrent Expenditure Program m e, including the engagem ent w ith N AM A and the assessm ent of AH B funding applications on behalf of the D epartm ent of H ousing. Prior to that,Pat w orked for the Affordable H om es Partnership w hich he joined in 2005 from D ublin C ity C ouncil.

H ubert Fitzpatrick H ubert Fitzpatrick is a D irector of the C onstruction Industry Federation w ith a brief including developm ent, housing and planning services, taxation investm ent and public spending, financing/banking, and regulation including registration ofbuilders.H e is also D irector of the Irish H om e Builders Association w hich represents the interest of house builders countryw ide. Prior to joining the C IF, H ubert w orked in project procurem ent and m anagem ent and dispute resolution w ith a m ajor law firm and has held senior m anagem ent positions in a num ber oflocalauthorities throughout the country.

M argaret G eraghty M argaret G eraghty is D irector of H ousing and C om m unity at FingalC ounty C ouncil. M argaret joined Fingal C ounty C ouncil in 2015 having previously spent 31 years in D ublin C ity C ouncilw here she held key leadership roles in housing, tourism and H R. She is responsible for housing strategy, housing needs assessm ent and the m anagem ent of the C ouncil’s 4,500 socialhousing units as w ellas libraries,com m unity developm ent and facilities,arts,culture and sports.A m em berofseveralsubcom m ittees ofthe LocalG overnm entM anagem entAgency and the D ublin Social H ousing D elivery Task Force, she also participates in the D ublin H ousing D irectors Forum and the N ationalLocalAuthority H ousing D irectors Forum .

Ireland’s housing magazine

W ho’s who Ireland’s housing magazine

A ideen H ayden Aideen H ayden is C hairperson of Threshold, the national housing charity, is a solicitor, and form er Labour Party Senator. A graduate of Econom ics and H istory from University C ollege D ublin (UC D ),Aideen qualified as a solicitor and practiced from 1989 to 2008. She w as a Board M em ber of the Private ResidentialTenancies Board from 2004 to 2011.Aideen served as a Senatorfrom 2011 until2016 and w as Labour Party Seanad spokesperson on housing, children and youth affairs and Vice-C hair of the Joint O ireachtas C om m ittee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform .H ayden also received a PhD in H ousing Policy from UC D in 2014, and is a m em ber of the Boards of the H ousing Finance Agency and the Property Services Regulatory Authority.

M arie H unt M arie H unt is Executive D irector and H ead of Research at C BRE. M ore than 20 years ago, M arie established the research departm ent, w hich is now regarded as one of the m ost authoritative sources of property inform ation in the Irish m arket. A regular com m entator in the Irish m edia on property m atters, M arie produces a range of property m arket publications and carries out specialist consultancy w ork on behalf of a broad range of institutional, private and public sectorclients ofthe Irish business. M arie is a chartered surveyor and a Fellow ofthe Society ofC hartered Surveyors,Ireland. In each of the last tw o years, M arie has been shortlisted in the Im age M agazine Irish Businessw om an ofthe Year Aw ards.

M ary H urley M ary H urley has responsibility at Assistant Secretary level for the Social H ousing Program m e D elivery D ivision, including the oversight and m anagem ent of the Social H ousing C apital Investm ent Program m e (SH C IP)and the Social H ousing C urrent Expenditure Program m e (SC H EP), w hich encom passes the C apitalAdvance Leasing Facility (C ALF) and the M ortgage to Rent schem es.She is also responsible for the rolloutand im plem entation ofthe H ousing Assistance Paym ent (H AP) and the Rental Accom m odation Schem e (RAS). In addition to leading socialhousing program m e delivery and the related policy areas,the area also includes responsibility forthe planning, m anagem ent and oversight of housing finance and expenditure.She is also responsible foroversightofarchitecture and building standards, including the developm ent of policy and legislation in respect of building control, building standards,construction products and pyrite rem ediation.

Peter H ynes Peter H ynes is C hief Executive at M ayo C ounty C ouncil. H e w as educated at C oláiste Éinde in G alw ay and studied Architecture at U niversity C ollege, D ublin, and the University of Virginia. G raduating in 1981, he w orked in private practice before joining the Architects D epartm ent of M ayo C ounty C ouncilin 1984 becom ing head ofthe D epartm entin 1989.H e w orked on a range of public buildings, urban design and arts and com m unity based projects throughout M ayo. In 2001 he becam e D irector ofServices and W estport Tow n M anager w ith responsibility for housing and for the m anagem ent of council services in the M ayo W est region. H e w as appointed M ayo C ounty M anager in M ay 2010 – a role w hich becam e C hief Executive in 2014. H e has w orked consistently to support enterprise and investm ent and connecting w ith the extended M ayo global diaspora, in a drive to m ake a county w hich he describes as “sustainable,inclusive,prosperous and proud”.

Ireland’s housing magazine

W ho’s who Parag Joglekar is H ead of Property and D esign w ith Respond! H ousing Association. H e is a C hartered Architect in Ireland and the UK and holds a M asters degree in U rban Settlem ents. Parag has w orked in both the private and sem i-private sector in Ireland, U K and India w ith extensive experience in urban design, housing, regeneration, com m ercial, health care and civic buildings. H e heads the property and design and overseas projects in South Africa. Parag is a m em berofthe RoyalInstitute ofArchitects ofIreland (RIAI)and the Architects Registration Board (ARB)in the UK.

M argaret Jordan M argaret Jordan is Finance M anager at the H ousing Agency. A qualified certified accountant, M argaret has w orked in the public, voluntary and private sector. She joined the H ousing A gency in July 2015. M argaret previously w orked as Finance M anager in the N ational Educational W elfare Board and M enniServices,StJohn of G od, C M S Peripherals Ltd. She also w orked in practice w ith Tynan,D illon & C o.,C hartered Accountants for 15 years.

Tim Lucey Tim Lucey has been C hief Executive ofC ork C ounty C ouncil since M ay 2014, follow ing a three-and-a-half-year term as C ork C ity M anager. Tim w orked previously w ith C ork C ounty C ouncil as D ivisional M anager for five years,H ead ofC orporate Affairs for three years and Financial Accountant for tw o years. Prior to that, he w orked w ith the H ealth Service Executive and C ork C ity C ouncil. Tim is a m em ber of the N ational Executive of the C ounty and C ity M anagem entAssociation ofIreland,a D irector of Ireland's Local G overnm ent M anagem ent Agency and is C hairm an of the N ational Public Service Reform O versight G roup for localgovernm ent.

Susanna Lyons

Ireland’s housing magazine

Parag Joglekar

Susanna Lyons is H ead of Regulation at the H ousing Agency.Susanna is a finance and risk professional w ith over 20 years’ experience in both financial services and industry. She has key expertise in risk, governance, financial m anagem ent and planning, strategy, liquidity m anagem ent and stress testing. Susanna has international experience w ith C itibank, Lehm an Brothers, U nited Technologies and G eneral Electric. Susanna holds a BA in Econom ics, Sociology and Politics, M aster’s in International Econom ics,Banking and Finance and M BA in Finance.

Cian M acG inley C ian M acG inley is a com m ercial real estate Partner at Eversheds Sutherland, w orking in the acquisition, disposal and m anagem ent of Irish property. This includes site assem bly, developm ent and financing of property assets, negotiating com plex real estate transactions and com m ercial lease deals forlandlords and tenants,re-structuring ofproperty assets, title review s, planning law and environm entallaw. C ian has built up a strong client base and reputation for handling property portfolio acquisitions, and advises several state and sem i-state bodies, and high profile developers and investors, on the acquisition, developm ent and disposal of properties. C ian has considerable expertise in advising clients on good governance, statutory pow ers, procedural issues and best practices on property deals.

Tim M acM ahon Tim M acM ahon is a D irector in the D evelopm ent Land Team at C BRE. H e joined C BRE in January 2016 w here his role is to advise a range of clients on the sale/acquisition of developm ent land, value-add investm ents and forw ard-funding opportunities. Recent deals include the sale of C lanw illiam C ourt for €51 m illion,acquisition ofa portfolio ofhousing sites on behalf of Abbey Plc for €10 m illion and advisory roles w ith state bodies. Tim is one of Ireland’s leading authorities on the Build to Rent (BTR)concept.

Ireland’s housing magazine

W ho’s who Ireland’s housing magazine

Joan M artin Joan M artin is C hief Executive at Louth C ounty C ouncil and has w orked in the Irish Public Service for 40 years, m ainly in local governm ent.She holds a D egree in Public Adm inistration as w ellas a M asters in Business (M BA)and has w ide-ranging experience across a variety of fields including transportation, planning, environm ent, tow n m anagem ent and rural developm ent.Joan w as appointed as C hief Executive in Louth in Septem ber 2014.

Fionnuala M ay Fionnuala M ay is C ounty Architect at Fingal C ounty C ouncil. She is responsible for overseeing Fingal C ounty C ouncil’s construction program m e, w hich currently consists of 26 schem es across the county, and the m aintenance of the C ouncil’s social housing stock.Fionnuala has been w ith Fingal C ounty C ouncil since its form ation in 1994. D uring that tim e she has served as an architect on housing projects, as C onservation O fficer and as Senior Architect w ith a brief of C VX~XC V. Fionnuala becam e C ounty Architect in 2011 and leads a m ulti-disciplinary departm ent w hich is also driving the developm ent of €25 m illion Sw ords C ulturalQ uarter.

John M cCarthy John M cC arthy w as appointed Secretary G eneral of the D epartm ent of H ousing, Planning and LocalG overnm ent in M arch 2014. Prior to this he served as Assistant Secretary in charge of the D epartm ent’s Local G overnm ent, Environm ent and H ousing D ivisions.H e previously served as Principal O fficer in a num ber of the D epartm ent’s areas of activity, including affordable housing and w aste m anagem ent. H e joined the D epartm entin 1991,having previously w orked in a num ber of other departm ents, including the D epartm ent of Socialand Fam ily Affairs and the C entralStatistics O ffice. H e has a prim ary degree and a postgraduate diplom a in m anagem ent and a M asters in Public Adm inistration.

A nne-M arie M cG auran Anne-M arie M cG auran is a Policy Analystatthe N ationalEconom ic and Social C ouncil, w hich advises the D epartm ent of the Taoiseach on strategic issues for Ireland’s econom ic and social developm ent. There she has w orked on N ESC ’s housing reports, on social housing, ow ner occupation, private renting, and increasing housing supply. Anne-M arie is also a research associate w ith the C entre for G ender and W om en’s Studies in Trinity C ollege D ublin,and a board m em ber ofO ne Fam ily,a charity w hich supports lone parents.

John-M ark M cCafferty John-M ark M cC afferty is C hief Executive of Threshold, the N ationalH ousing C harity,w hose aim is to prevent hom elessness through advice, tenancy protection and advocacy.H e took up this position in January 2017. Priorto joining Threshold,John-M ark w as H ead of Social Justice and Policy w ith the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, w orking on policies including incom e, utilities policy, child poverty, financialinclusion,housing and sustainable developm ent.JohnM ark also represented SVP during Social Partnership program m es and w as a N ationalEconom ic and SocialC ouncil (N ESC ) m em ber. H e holds a M asters in D evelopm ent Studies from UC D , is a G eography graduate from G lasgow University and w orked for the C om bat Poverty Agency in Ireland and Scottish H om es.

D onalM cM anus D onal M cM anus is C EO of the Irish C ouncil for Social H ousing (IC SH ). H e previously w orked in public/local authority and housing association sectors in Scotland and N orthern Ireland. This com prised w orking in areas of housing developm ent and regeneration, housing m anagem ent, and policy and finance. D onalw as also president of the non-profit housing section ofH ousing Europe,President ofthe European H ousing Forum and FEAN TSA. From 2003-2005 he w as appointed a m em ber of the UN EC E Task Force on Social H ousing. H e is a graduate in H ousing from Ulster University, U rban D esign from G lasgow, and holds a doctorate in G overnance from Q ueen’s University School of Law. H e is currently a board m em ber ofthe H ousing Agency.

Ireland’s housing magazine

W ho’s who Jason M urphy is a founder D irector and H ead of C entrus in Ireland. H e has over 16 years’ experience in infrastructure finance.Jason has advised som e of the largest infrastructure investors, regulated utilities and housing associations in the UK and Ireland. H e is currently advising a num ber ofApproved H ousing Bodies in Ireland on treasury risk,financial strategy,capitalraising,leasing and business planning. H e is a highly regarded contributor in the infrastructure and housing m arkets producing articles and publications. H e is a regular speaker at conferences/sem inars. Jason is a Fellow of the Association ofC hartered C ertified Accountants.

Eoghan M urphy TD Eoghan M urphy TD w as appointed M inister of H ousing, Planning and Local G overnm ent on 14 June 2017. H e previously served as M inister of State for Financial Services, eG overnm ent and Public Procurem ent from M ay 2016. H e is the Fine G ael TD for D ublin South East.H e w as elected to D áil Éireann in the February 2011 G eneralElection.

M oira M urrell M oira M urrell w as appointed C hief Executive of Kerry C ounty C ouncil in 2014. Prior to this, M oira served from 2010 to 2014 as D ivisional M anager in C ork C ounty C ouncilw ith responsibility for roads and transportation, w ater services, organisational developm ent and econom ic developm ent and in the N orth C ork D ivision from 2007 to 2010 as a D irector ofService for the W est C ork D ivision including Tow n M anager in Skibbereen and C lonakilty. M urrell w orked w ith Kerry C ounty C ouncil from 1993 and w as responsible for budgetary m anagem ent and the introduction of the new financial m anagem ent system to the localgovernm ent sector.

Bairbre N ic A ongusa

Ireland’s housing magazine

Jason M urphy

Bairbre N ic Aongusa is Assistant Secretary in the D epartm ent of H ousing, Planning and Local G overnm ent w ith responsibility for social housing and rental policy. H er rem it includes social housing policy;hom elessness and housing inclusion supports; rental m arket and approved housing bodies regulation; and developm ent of new funding m odels forthe delivery of socialhousing and affordable rental. Previously, she w orked in the D epartm ent of H ealth. Prior to that,Bairbre w as D irectorofthe O ffice forD isability and M ental H ealth and in that role,she w orked w ith her counterpart in the D epartm ent of the Environm ent to develop the N ational H ousing Strategy for People w ith a D isability (2011).

John O ’Connor John O ’C onnor is the C hief Executive O fficer ofthe H ousing A gency, w hich is a statutory body set up under the aegis of the D epartm ent of H ousing, Planning and LocalG overnm ent. John is a structural engineer by background and has a w ide range of experience in both the public and private sectors. H e has extensive experience in the developm ent, provision and direct delivery of housing, particularly in the areas of social housing, affordable housing and regeneration projects. The Agency w as established to provide the D epartm ent, local authorities and approved housing bodies w ith support and advice on the delivery of housing and housing services; in addition to a range of other services.

Brian O ’G orm an Brian O ’G orm an is the C EO of C lúid H ousing,a large approved housing body in Ireland w ith a portfolio of assets in excess of €600 m illion. Brian leads an aw ard-w inning team of160 highly qualified professionals w ho are delivering an am bitious housing pipeline of new social housing developm ents.H e is a resolute advocate of the im portant role of social housing, the quality and design of w hich m akes it indistinguishable from any other housing. H is vision m irrors C lúid’s philosophy to prolong the life of buildings and their environm ent by investing in sustainability and future capacity. The perform ance and quality ofC lúid’s current housing stock is very m uch evidence ofthis.

Ireland’s housing magazine

W ho’s who Ireland’s housing magazine

Barry O ’Leary Barry O ’Leary is C hief Executive of the H ousing Finance Agency plc. A n accountant by profession, he has w orked for H FA since 1988, holding a num ber of financial roles before being appointed C hief Executive in 2012. H e w as responsible for developing the assessm ent process for Approved H ousing Bodies w ishing to borrow from the H FA. This process allow ed the European Investm ent Bank support a €300 m illion fund w hich the H FA extends to AH Bs for new developm ent and refurbishm ent projects. The fund is fully subscribed and w ith additional funding available, the H FA is very m uch open forbusiness and keen to lend,both to existing approved borrow ers and potentialnew entrants to the m arket.

Pam ela O ’N eill Pam ela O ’N eill is a Litigation Partner at Eversheds Sutherland w ho advises a large num ber of public bodies. She is an experienced disputes law yer handling a w ide variety of Irish and internationallitigation and has acted in large scale com plex litigation, regulatory investigations and contentious /non-contentious, regulatory/public adm inistration issues. Pam ela has expertise in advising on statutory pow ers and functions,m inim ising legalrisks attaching to the exercise of these pow ers, defending challenges by w ay of statutory appeals/judicial review. She has experience of drafting legislation and sim ilar instrum ents, codes, guidance notes, policy/procedure. Pam ela advises on potential im pacts of legislation in relation to fair procedures and constitutional issues.

Valerie O ’Sullivan Valerie O ’Sullivan is C ork C ity C ouncil’s D irector of H ousing and C om m unity, having also been D irector of Recreation, Am enity,C ulture and Em ergency Services as w ellas C orporate and ExternalAffairs.Valerie has been in her current post since 2015 and has held various roles in C ork C ity C ouncil, C ork C ounty C ouncil and the H SE. Valerie has w orked in housing services previously for both the C ity and C ounty C ouncils. 72

Barry Q uinlan Barry Q uinlan helped establish and now heads a new section H ousing M arket Policy and Land M anagem ent – as part of the reconfiguration of the D epartm entofH ousing,Planning and LocalG overnm ent– w ithin the Planning D ivision ofthe D epartm ent. Barry w as a part of the team that developed Rebuilding Ireland – Action Plan for H ousing and H om elessness and is now w orking on its im plem entation and com m unication.Barry also has a lead role in the new approach to State land m anagem ent outlined in the Plan. Prior to that, Barry helped develop and im plem ent the Social H ousing Strategy 2020 and has previous experience w orking on the H ousing Assistance Paym entProgram m e and in LocalG overnm ent Reform .

M atthew Reast M atthew Reast is D irector at C entrus.H e has over 15 years of corporate finance experience w orking at Airtricity and m ost recently acting as C hiefFinancial A nalyst at G aelectric. H is experience includes raising both project and corporate finance debt facilities, as w ellas financialm odelling for assets across Europe, the US and Asia. M atthew is currently advising A pproved H ousing Bodies regarding various leasing structure proposals and business planning projects. M atthew holds a BSc in M athem atics for M anagem ent from the University ofBrighton.

PaulReid Paul Reid is C hief Executive of Fingal C ounty C ouncil. The form er C hief O perations O fficer in the D epartm ent of Public of Public Expenditure w as appointed to his current role in M arch 2014. H e previously held D irector and executive roles w ith Eircom and Trocaire respectively.H e w as the firstappointm entdirectly atthis levelnotto have previously w orked in the localgovernm entsector.H e oversees,along w ith the chief executives of the other D ublin local authorities, the D ublin Regional H om eless Executive. In agreem ent w ith the elected m em bers he has put housing at the top of Fingal’s agenda and adopted a proactive approach to tackling the crisis w hich has resulted in the C ouncilexceeding its targets.

Ireland’s housing magazine

W ho’s who W esley Rothw ell is H ead of the D evelopm ent Land departm ent at C BRE in Ireland.H e has been involved in several m ajor developm ent instructions over the course of the past 15 years, m ostrecently the sale ofAllH allow s' C ollege in D rum condra, the form er Irish N ationw ide H Q Building on G rand Parade,and Project C lear,w hich w as the largest land portfolio sale in the history of the State. W esley is one of the leading players in the developm ent land m arket in Ireland, providing strategic advice on housing and related issues to leading developers,investors and funders.H e has been instrum entalin advising on alternative assetclasses including Build to Rentand Purpose Built Student Accom m odation.

A ngelyn Row an Angelyn Row an is a Partnerin the C onstruction and Projects G roup at Eversheds Sutherland. Angelyn advises clients on m ajor infrastructure projects, com plex procurem ent m atters and construction. She is and has been involved in som e of the largest public sector infrastructure projects in Ireland over recent years, including the developm ent of the D IT G rangegorm an C am pus and Social H ousing PPPs. Angelyn’s experience includes advising funders, developers, em ployers and contractors on allaspects of construction law, specialising m ainly in non-contentious areas.She has experience advising in both the public and private sectors on Public Private Partnerships in the education, healthcare, social housing and roads sectors; and on allaspects of Irish and European public procurem ent.

Brian Shefflin Brian Shefflin is a D irector in KPM G C orporate Finance and has over 15 years’ experience advising on property and financial services transactions. Brian has advised a num ber of residential property developers on debt restructuring and raising new finance, new lending platform s targeting the Irish m arket, deleveraging banks in relation to the sale/restructuring ofm ortgage portfolios and new platform s to facilitate institutionalinvestm ent into the sector.

D avid Silke

Ireland’s housing magazine

W esley Rothw ell

D avid Silke is the D irector of Research and C orporate Affairs at the H ousing Agency, w hich is a statutory body set up under the aegis of the D epartm ent of H ousing, Planning and Local G overnm ent. D avid previously w orked in the Secretariat of the N ational Econom ic and Social Forum as a Policy Analyst, as Researcher in the C om bat Poverty Agency and a Senior Researcher in the Analytical Services D ivision of the D epartm ent ofSocialSecurity.

Lorcan Sirr Lorcan Sirr is a Lecturer in H ousing atthe D ublin Institute of Technology and Visiting Professor ofH ousing at the URV, Tarragona, Spain. H e is a w eekly colum nist w ith The Sunday Tim es, and editor of D ublin's Future: new visions for Ireland's capital city (Liffey Press: 2011) and Renting in Ireland: the public,private and voluntary sectors (IPA:2014).Lorcan has an M A from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium ,and an M A and PhD from the University ofM anchester.

D avid W alsh D avid W alsh is AssistantSecretary over the Planning, Land M anagem ent and H ousing M arket Policy D ivision in the D epartm ent of H ousing, Planning and Local G overnm ent. H e has overall responsibility for forw ard planning, including preparation of Ireland 2040: O ur Plan, the new N ationalPlanning Fram ew ork,general planning policy,governance and oversightofAn Bord Pleanála. D avid also has a broader role in coordinating overall im plem entation ofRebuilding Ireland,the G overnm ent’s Action Plan for H ousing and H om elessness w ith a particular focus on developing, integrating and im plem enting policies on active land m anagem ent and sustainable urban and regional developm ent m atters to help address the current shortfall in housing activity.

Ireland’s housing magazine

Ireland’s Housing Magazine Directory The following is an A-Z list of organisations involved in the Irish housing sector including government contacts, housing associations and advisors. Government departments Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government Custom House, Dublin, D01 W6X0 Tel: +353 (0)1 888 2000 Web: www.housing.gov.ie Newtown Road, Wexford, Y35 AP90 Tel: +353 (0)53 911 7500 Government Offices, Ballina Co Mayo, F26 E8N6 Tel: +353 (0)96 24200 Minister: Eoghan Murphy TD Tel: 01 888 2403 Email: minister@housing.gov.ie Minister of State: Damien English TD Tel: 01 888 2591 Email: ministerofstate@housing.gov.ie Secretary General: John McCarthy Assistant Secretary Social Housing Policy and Rental Policy: Bairbre Nic Aongusa Assistant Secretary Housing Programme Delivery: Mary Hurley Assistant Secretary Local Government and Community: Paul Lemass Assistant Secretary Planning, Housing Market Policy and Land Management: David Walsh

Oireachtas committee Joint Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government

Leinster House Kildare Street Dublin Tel: 01 618 3325

Email: hpclg@oireachtas.ie Clerk to the Committee: Fiona Cashin Deputies: Maria Bailey (Chair), Fine Gael Pat Casey, Fianna Fáil Ruth Coppinger, AAA-PBP Barry Cowen, Fianna Fáil Mattie McGrath, RIG Eoin O Broin, Sinn Féin Fergus O'Dowd, Fine Gael Senators: Victor Boyhan, Independent Paudie Coffey, Fine Gael Jennifer Murnane O'Connor, Fianna Fáil Grace O'Sullivan, Green Party

Government agencies and bodies involved in housing Housing Agency 53 Mount Street Upper Dublin 2 D02 KT73 Tel: 01 656 4100 Web: www.housingagency.ie Email: info@housingagency.ie Chief Executive: John O'Connor Chair: Conor Skehan Director of Research and Corporate Affairs: David Silke Project Management and Procurement Officer: Peter Husse Internal Audit Officer: Jim Baneham Interim Head of Regulation: Pat Fitzpatrick New Head of Regulation: Susanna Lyons Finance Manager: Margaret Jordan Senior Executive Officer: Claire Feeney

Housing Finance Agency 46 St. Stephen’s Green Dublin 2 Tel: +353 (0)1 872 5722 Web: www.hfa.ie Email: cosec@hfa.ie Chief Executive Officer: Barry O’Leary Chair: Michelle Norris Head of Treasury: Seán Cremen Head of Finance: Tom Conroy

Residential Tenancies Board PO Box 47 Clonakilty Co Cork Tel: 01 702 8100 Web: www.rtb.ie Director: Rosalind Carroll Chair: Catriona Walsh Assistant Director with responsibility for Dispute Resolution Services: Janette Fogarty Assistant Director with responsibility for Finance, ICT and Registrations: Pádraig McGoldrick Assistant Director with responsibility for Enforcement: Kathryn Ward

National Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee Custom House Dublin D01 W6X0 Email: ntacc@housing.gov.ie Chair: Eoin O’Sullivan

Local government housing contacts Carlow County Council County Buildings Athy Road, Carlow Tel: 059 917 0300 Web: www.carlow.ie Chief Executive: Kathleen Holohan Director of Services: Seamus O’Connor Housing: Josephine Kavanagh

Cavan County Council

Clare County Council New Road, Ennis, Co Clare Tel: 065 682 1616 Web: www.clarecoco.ie Email: info@clarecoco.ie Chief Executive: Pat Dowling Director of Social Development: Liam Conneally Housing: Leonard Cleary

Cork City Council Housing and Community Directorate City Hall, Anglesea Street Cork Email: housing@corkcity.ie Director, Housing and Community: Valerie O’Sullivan

Cork County Council County Hall Carrigrohane Road Cork, T12 R2NC Web: www.corkcoco.ie Email: housing@corkcoco.ie Chief Executive: Tim Lucey Western Division and Housing Director: Mary Ryan Housing Senior Executive Officers: Angela Murphy, Karina Cremin, Keith Jones (Acting)

Donegal County Council County House, The Diamond Lifford, Co Donegal, F93 Y622 Tel: 074 915 3900 Web: www.donegalcoco.ie Email: info@donegalcoco.ie Chief Executive: Seamus Neely Director of Service, Housing, Corporate and Cultural Service: Joe Peoples

County Hall, Marine Road Dún Laoghaire Co Dublin, A96 K6C9 Tel: 01 205 4700 Email: housing@dlrcoco.ie Chief Executive: Philomena Poole Director of Housing: Catherine Keenan Housing: Deirdre Baber, Ann Hegarty

Áras an Chontae JFL Avenue Portlaoise, Co Laois Tel: 057 866 4000 Web: www.laois.ie Chief Executive: John Mulholland Director: Gerard Murphy Housing: Ian McCormack

Leitrim County Council Fingal County Council County Hall Main Street Swords, Co Dublin K67 X8Y2 Tel: 01 890 5000 Email: info@fingal.ie Chief Executive: Paul Reid Director Housing and Community Department: Margaret Geraghty Director of Planning: AnnMarie Farrelly County Architect: Fionnuala May

Galway City Council City Hall, College Road Galway H91 X4K8 Tel: 091 536 400 Chief Executive: Brendan McGrath Acting Director of Services: Patricia Philbin Housing: Laurena Mitchell

Galway County Council Áras an Chontae Prospect Hill, Galway H91 H6KX Tel: 091 509 000 Chief Executive: Kevin Kelly (Acting) Director: Peter Gavican Housing and Emergency Services: Jean Brann

Kerry County Council County Buildings Rathass, Tralee, Kerry Tel: 066 718 3862 Email: housing@kerrycoco.ie Chief Executive: Moira Murrell Director: Martin O’Donoghue (Acting) Housing: Christina Farrell

Kildare County Council Áras Chill Dara Devoy Park, Naas Co Kildare, W91 X77F Tel: 045 980 200 Chief Executive: Peter Carey Director: Tadhg McDonnell Housing: Annette Aspell

Dublin City Council

Kilkenny County Council

Housing and Community Department Block 1, Floor 1 Civic Offices Wood Quay Dublin 8, D08 RF3F Tel: 01 222 2222

John Street Kilkenny R95 A39T Tel: 056 779 4000 Email: info@kilkennycoco.ie

Chief Executive: Owen Keegan Deputy Chief Executive, Housing and Community: Brendan Kenny Director of Dublin Regional Homeless Executive: Daithi Downey (Acting) Assistant Chief Executive, Planning and Property Development: Vacant City Architect: Ali Grehan City Planner: John O’Hara

Laois County Council

Housing Office John Green's House John's Green Kilkenny R95 CX92 Tel: 056 779 4900 Chief Executive: Colette Byrne Director: Maria Melia Housing, Community and Enterprise: Martin Mullally

Áras an Chontae Carrick on Shannon Co Leitrim N41 PF67 Tel: 071 962 0005 Email: housing@leitrimcoco.ie Chief Executive: Frank Curran Director: Mary Quinn

Ireland’s housing magazine

Courthouse Farnham Street Cavan, H12 R6V2 Tel: 049 437 8322 Web: www.cavancoco.ie Email: housing@cavancoco.ie Director: Joe McLoughlin

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council

Limerick City and County Council Merchant's Quay, Limerick V94 EH90 Tel: 061 407 120 Chief Executive: Conn Murray Housing Assistance Payments – HAP Shared Services Centre: Eoghan Prendergast Housing Assistance Payments – HAP Hub: Mark Connolly, Kathleen White

Longford County Council Great Water Street Longford N39 NH56 Tel: 043 334 3300 Web: www.longfordcoco.ie Email: housing@longfordcoco.ie Chief Executive: Paddy Mahon Director: John Brannigan Housing: Gerry Gillen

Louth County Council County Hall Milennium Centre Dundalk A91 KFW6 Tel: 1890 202 303 Web: www.louthcoco.ie Email: housing@louthcoco.ie Chief Executive: Joan Martin Director: Joe McGuinness Housing: John Lawerence (Acting), Aoife Lawler

Mayo County Council Ground Floor Aras an Chontae The Mall Castlebar Tel: 094 902 4444 Email: housing@mayococo.ie County Manager: Peter Hynes Director: Tom Gilligan Housing: Paul Benson

Meath County Council Housing Department County Hall Navan Co Meath Tel: 046 909 7250 Email: housing@meathcoco.ie Chief Executive: Jackie Maguire Director: Barry Lynch Housing: David Jones

Monaghan County Council

Westmeath County Council

Clúid Housing Association

Housing Department County Offices, The Glen Monaghan, H18 YT50 Tel: 047 30500 Email: info@monaghancoco.ie Chief Executive: Eamonn O’Sullivan Director of Services: John Murray

Áras An Chontae Mount Street Mullingar N91 FH4N Tel: 044 933 2000 Email: info@westmeathcoco.ie Chief Executive: Pat Gallagher Director of Service, Housing: David Hogan

159-161 Sheriff Street Upper Dublin 1 Tel: 01 707 2088 Web: www.cluid.ie Email: cluid@cluid.ie CEO: Brian O’Gorman Services: General needs

Offaly County Council

Ireland’s housing magazine

Housing Section Áras an Chontae Charleville Road Tullamore Co Offaly, R35 F893 Tel: 057 934 6800 Email: housing@offalycoco.ie Chief Executive: Anna Marie Delaney Director: Sean Murray Housing: Ann Dillon

Roscommon County Council Áras an Chontae Roscommon Co Roscommon, F42 VR9 Tel: 090 663 7100 Web: www.roscommoncoco.ie Email: housing@roscommoncoco.ie Chief Executive: Eugene Cummins Director: Derek Caldbeck (Acting) Housing: Desmond O’Dwyer

Circle VHA Wexford County Council County Hall Carricklawn, Wexford Tel: 053 919 6000 Web: www.wexford.ie Chief Executive: Tom Enright Director: John Carley

Wicklow County Council County Buildings, Whitegates Wicklow Town, A67 FW96 Tel: 040 420 120 Web: www.wicklow.ie Email: housing2@wicklowcoco.ie Chief Executive: Bryan Doyle Director of Services: Joe Lane Housing: Jackie Carroll

County Hall Riverside Sligo Tel: 071 9111 111 Email: info@sligococo.ie Chief Executive: Ciarán Hayes Director of Housing and Corporate: Bartley Gavin Housing: Joe Murphy

South Dublin County Council County Hall Tallaght Dublin 24, D24 YNN5 Tel: 01 414 9000 Web: www.sdcc.ie Email: info@sdublincoco.ie

Olympic House Pleasants Street Dublin 8 Tel: 01 679 1032 Email: hello@alone.ie CEO: Seán Moynihan Services: Elderly

Apex Housing Association Fortwell Place, Letterkenny Co Donegal Tel: 074 915 8036 Web: www.apexhousing.org Services: Elderly, general needs, people with disabilities

Clanmil Housing Association Chief Executive: Daniel McLoughlin Director of Housing, Social and Community Development: Billy Coman Housing Operations Management: Hugh Hogan Housing Provision and Financial Management: Yvonne Dervan Housing Provision and Financial Management (Construction): Darach O’Connor County Architect: Eddie Conroy

Unit 1 Valhalla Watery Lane Clondalkin Dublin 22 Tel: 042 932 0754 Web: www.clanmilireland.ie Email: housing@clanmilireland.ie Chief Executive: Martina Smith Services: General needs

Tipperary County Council

Carbery Housing Association Ltd

Civic Offices, Clonmel Co Tipperary Tel: 076 106 5000 Chief Executive: Joe MacGrath Director of Services, Housing: Clare Curley Housing: Aidan Fennessey

The Wooden House Rossnagoose Skibbereen Co Cork Tel: 028 21890 Web: www.carberyhousing.eu Email: office@carberyhousing.eu Secretary: José Ospina Services: General needs

Waterford City and County Council Housing Department Bailey's New Street Waterford, X91 XH42 Tel: 0761 102 020 Email: contact@waterfordcouncil.ie Chief Executive: Michael Walsh Director: Ivan Grimes Housing: Joe Sullivan

Clár I.C.H. Ballyhaunis Road Claremorris Co Mayo Tel: 094 936 2088 Email: info@clarichmayo.com Services: General needs

Coolmine Housing Association

Housing services ALONE

Sligo County Council

Phoenix House 32-34 Castle Street Dublin 2 Tel: 01 407 2110/2 Web: www.circlevha.ie Email: info@circlevha.ie Chief Executive: Justin O’Brien Services: General needs

Cheshire Ireland Block 4, Bracken Business Park Bracken Road Sandyford Industrial Estate Dublin 18 Tel: 01 297 4100 Web: www.cheshire.ie Email: info@cheshire.ie Chief Executive: Mark Blake-Knox

The Ringwood Centre Damastown Close Damastown Dublin 15 Tel: 01 827 0003 Email: info@coolminetc.ie Services: People with disabilities, general needs, homeless

Cork Mental Health Foundation and Housing Association Nore House Bessboro Road Blackrock, Cork Tel: 021 451 1100 Email: admin@corkmentalhealth.com Development Manager: Brendan McCarthy Services: Mental health

Cope Foundation Bonnington Montenotte Cork, T23 PT93 Tel: 021 464 3100 Web: www.cope-foundation.ie Email: headoffice@cope-foundation.ie

Crosscare Holy Cross College Clonliffe Road Dublin 3 Tel: 01 836 0011 Email: info@crosscare.ie Services: Homeless

Daisyhouse Housing Association 6 Emor Street Portobello, Dublin 8 Tel: 01 454 6078 Email: office@daisyhouse.org Services: Homeless

Depaul Ireland 18 Nicholas Street Dublin 8 D08 VCP7 Tel: 01 453 7111 Web: www.ie.depaulcharity.org Email: depaul@depaulcharity.net Chief Executive Officer: Kerry Anthony Services: Homeless

Focus Ireland

Mental Health Ireland

Prosper Fingal Housing Association

9-12 High Street Christchurch Dublin 8 Tel: 01 881 5900

1-4 Adelaide Road Glasthule, Co Dublin Tel: 01 284 1166 Email: info@mentalhealthireland.ie

Strand Street, Skerries, Co Dublin Tel: 01 849 0915 Email: reception@prosperfingal.ie Services: People with disabilities

69 Lower John Street Sligo Tel: 071 914 9974 Web: www.focusireland.ie Email: help@focusireland.ie Chief Executive: Ashley Balbirnie Services: General needs, homeless

Merchants Quay Ireland

Respond! Housing Association

24 Merchants Quay, Dublin 8 Tel: 01 524 0160 Web: www.mqi.ie Email: info@mqi.ie Services: Homeless

Airmount, Dominick Place Waterford, X91 A397 Tel: 051 840 200 Web: www.respond.ie Email: info@respond.ie Chief Executive: Declan Dunne Services: General needs

Fold Housing Association Ireland Ltd

Hearth and Mind Riversdale House Ballyboden Road Rathfarnham Dublin, D14 W7DO Tel: 01 424 1115 Email: info@hearthandmind.ie Services: Mental health

Home Again 1 Tempe Terrace Coliemore Road Dalkey Co Dublin Tel: 01 235 1486 Email: info@homeagain.ie

Housing Association for Integrated Living (HAIL) Second Floor, Central Hotel Chambers 7-9 Dame Court, Dublin 2 D02 X452 Tel: 01 671 8444 Web: www.hail.ie Chief Executive Officer: Patricia Cleary Services: General needs

Good Shepard Cork Bruac Redemption Road Cork Tel: 021 439 1188 Services: Homeless

The Iveagh Trust Head Office Bull Alley Street Dublin D08 R7DX Tel: 01 454 2312 Web: www.theiveaghtrust.ie Chief Executive: Gene Clayton Services: General needs

Kerry Mental Health Association Cherryfield House Coolgrane Killarney, Co Kerry Tel: 064 663 5019 Web: www.kerrymentalhealth.com Services: People with disabilities, mental health

Eaton Road Terenure, Dublin 6 Tel: 01 490 9816 Email: info@merrickhouse.ie Services: Elderly

North and East Housing Association 287, Block G Blanchardstown Corporate Park 2 D15 P229 Tel: 01 820 0002 Web: www.northandeast.ie Email: info@neha.ie CEO: Vincent Keenan Services: General needs

The Salvation Army PO Box 2098 Freepost F3201 Dublin 1 Tel: 01 874 3762 Services: Homeless

Ireland’s housing magazine

Suite C Ashtown Business Centre Navan Road Dublin 15 Tel: 01 822 8804 Web: www.foldireland.ie Email: enquiries@foldireland.ie Chief Executive: John McLean Services: General needs

Merrick House

Saoirse Housing Association PO Box 10819 Tallaght Dublin 24 Tel: 01 463 0000 Email: admin@saoirsewomensrefuge.ie Services: Domestic violence

Novas

Simon Communities of Ireland

McGarry House 7 Alphonsus Street Limerick Tel: 061 370 325 Email: info@novas.ie Services: Homeless

St Andrews House 28-30 Exchequer Street Dublin 2 Tel: 01 671 1606 Web: www.simon.ie Email: info@simoncommunity.com Services: Homeless

Ó Cualann Cohousing Alliance CLG 8 Quinsborough Road Bray, Co Wicklow Tel: 087 255 9357 Email: info@ocualann.ie Chief Executive: Hugh Brennan Services: General needs

Sligo Social Service Council

Oakfield Trust

Sonas

CPLN Area Partnership Unit D, Nangor Road Business Park Nangor Road Dublin 12 Tel: 01 450 8788 Email: reception@cpln.ie Services: General needs

5 Aston Quay Dublin, 02 K504 Tel: 01 671 8092 Web: www.domesticabuse.ie Email: info@sonasdomesticabuse.ie CEO: Fiona Ryan Services: Domestic violence, homeless

Oaklee Housing Limited

Sophia Housing Association

132 James’s Street Dublin, D08 PK25 Tel: 01 400 2650 Web: www.oaklee.ie Email: enquiries@oakleehousing.ie Services: General needs

25 Cork Street, Dublin 8 Tel: 01 473 8300 Web: www.sophia.ie Email: info@sophia.ie Chief Executive Officer: Tony O’Riordan Services: Homeless

PACE

Threshold

Block 3 Grove Court Grove Road Dublin 15 Tel: 01 823 1000 Email: headoffice@paceorganisation.ie Services: Homeless

21 Stoneybatter Dublin 7 Tel: 1800 454 454 Web: www.threshold.ie Chief Executive: John-Mark McCafferty Services: Homeless

Charles Street, Sligo Tel: 071 914 5682 Web: www.sligosocialservices.ie Email: info@sligosocialservices.ie Services: General needs, homeless

Túath Housing Peter McVerry Trust 29 Mountjoy Square Dublin 1, D01 C2N4 Tel: 01 823 0776 Email: info@pmvtrust.ie CEO: Pat Doyle Services: Homeless

29 Merrion Square North Dublin 2 Tel: 01 676 1602 Web: www.tuathhousing.ie Email: info@tuathhousing.ie Services: General needs

WALK 1 Longmile Road Walkinstown, Dublin 12 Tel: 01 465 0388 Web: www.walk.ie Services: People with disabilities

Royal Town Planning Institute Ireland c/o 38 Merrion Square, Dublin 2 Tel: 0892 515 649 Email: contact@rtpiireland.org Chair: John Downey Director: Craig McLaren

YMCA Dublin

Ireland’s housing magazine

53 Aungier Street Dublin 2 D02 PT67 Tel: 01 478 2607 Web: www.ymca.ie Email: info@ymca.ie Services: Homeless

Industry bodies

Planning consultants AOS Planning 2nd Floor, The Courtyard 25 Great Strand Street Dublin 1 Tel: 01 874 7704 Email: enquiries@aosplanning.ie

53 Mount Street Upper Dublin 2 Tel: 01 656 4160 Email: roi@cih.org

128 Lower Baggot Street Dublin 2 Tel: 01 676 4522 Web: www.bmaplanning.ie Managing Director: Ray Ryan

Co-operative Housing Ireland

Coakley O’Neill Town Planning

Co-operative House 33 Lower Baggot Street Dublin 2 Tel: 01 661 2877 Web: www.cooperativehousing.ie Email: admin@cooperativehousing.ie

NSC Campus Mahon, Cork Tel: 021 230 7000 Email: info@coakleyoneill.ie Contact: Aiden O'Neill

Downey Planning Construction Industry Federation Construction House Canal Road, Dublin 6 Tel: 01 406 6000 Email: info@cif.ie Eastgate Avenue Little Island, Cork Tel: 021 435 1410 Director General: Tom Parlon

Irish Council for Social Housing 50 Merrion Square East Dublin 2, D02 HP84 Tel: 01 661 8334 Web: www.icsh.ie Email: info@icsh.ie CEO: Donal McManus Director of Policy: Karen Murphy Director of Operations: Kathleen McKillion Housing Development Officer: Paula Kenny

Fenton Associates 6 Camden Place Dublin 2 Tel: 01 479 3140 Email: info@fenton.ie

14a Knockmeenagh Road Newlands Cross Clondalkin Dublin 22 Tel: 01 464 3373

McCutcheon Halley 6 Joyce House, Barrack Square Ballincollig, Co Cork P31 YX97 Tel: 021 420 8710 Email: info@mhplanning.ie Director: Brian McCutcheon

McGill Planning Ltd 1st Floor 7 Fitzwilliam Street Upper Dublin 2 Tel: 01 284 6464 Email: info@mcgplanning.ie

Simon Clear and Associates 3 Terenure Road West Terenure, Dublin 6W Tel: 01 492 5934 Email: admin@clearconsult.ie

WK Nowlan Marine House Clanwilliam Place Dublin, D02 FY24 Tel: 01 905 8350 Email: info@wkn.ie

Advisors Finance

Hogan Associates

AIB

The Lodge Proby's Quay, Cork Tel: 021 431 1206 Email: mail@hoganarchitecture.com Managing Director: Patrick O’Hanlon

Bankcentre, Ballsbridge Dublin 4 Tel: 0 1 660 0311 Web: www.aib.ie

HRA Planning

Floor 3, The Courtyard 25 Great Strand Street Dublin 1 Tel: 01 878 8630 Email: info@ipi.ie President: Deirdre Fallon

3 Hartstonge Street Limerick Tel: 061 435 000 Email: info@hraplanning.ie

84/86 Lower Baggot Street Dublin 2 Tel: 01 605 1500 Web: www.propertyindustry.ie Email: info@propertyindustry.ie Director: David Duffy

1 Westland Square Pearse Street, Dublin 2 Tel: 01 253 0220 Web: www.downeyplanning.ie Email: info@downeyplanning.ie Principal Planner: John Downey Senior Planner: Eva Bridgeman Consultant Planner: Anne McElligott

Irish Planning Institute

Property Industry Ireland

23 Grange Park Foxrock Dublin 18 Tel: 086 383 7100 Email: anthony@marstonplanning.ie

Masterplan Associates

BMA Planning Chartered Institute of Housing

Marston Planning Consultancy

John Spain Associates 39 Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin 2 D02 ND61 Tel: 01 662 5803 Email: info@johnspainassociates.com Managing Director: John Spain

Manahan Planners 38 Dawson Street Dublin 2 Tel: 01 679 9094 Web: www.manahanplanners.com

Bank of Ireland 40 Mespil Road Dublin 4 Tel: 1890 365 005 Web: www.bankofireland.com

Barclays 2 Park Place Hatch Street Dublin 2 Tel: 01 618 2600 Web: www.barclays.ie

Centrus Advisors 40 Fitzwilliam Square West Dublin 2, D02 DK70 Tel: 01 905 8642 Email: Dublin@centrusadvisors.com Contact: Jason Murphy/Matthew Reast

HSBC Bank

LK Shields

Coffey Group

1 Grand Canal Square Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2 Tel: 01 635 6000 Web: www.business.hsbc.ie Email: dublinreception@hsbc.com

40 Upper Mount Street Dublin 2 Tel: 01 661 0866 Email: email@lkshields.ie Partner: Clair Cassidy

Athenry Co Galway Tel: 091 844 356 Web: www.coffeygroup.com Email: info@coffeygroup.com Property Director: Mark Coffey

KBC Bank Ireland

Matheson

Sandwith Street Dublin 2 Web: www.kbc.ie

70 Sir John Rogerson's Quay Dublin 2 Tel: 01 232 2000 Email: dublin@matheson.com Partner: Nicola Dunleavy

KPMG

permanent tsb 56-59 St Stephen's Green Dublin 2 Tel: 01 212 4101 Web: www.permanenttsb.ie

Ulster Bank Ulster Bank Group Centre George's Quay Dublin 2 Tel: 1800 303 004 Web: www.digital.ulsterbank.ie

Legal Arthur Cox Ten Earlsfort Terrace Dublin 2 D02 T380 Tel: 01 920 1000 Web: www.arthurcox.com Email: dublin@arthurcox.com Head of Commercial Property: Kenneth Egan

Maples and Calder 75 St. Stephen's Green Dublin 2 Tel: 01 619 2000 Web: www.maplesandcalder.com Email: dublininfo@maplesandcalder.com Partner: Diarmuid Mawe

Mason Hayes & Curran South Bank House Barrow Street Dublin 4 Tel: 01 614 5000 Email: dublin@mhc.ie Partner: Kevin Hoy

McCann FitzGerald Riverside One 37-42 Sir John Rogerson's Quay Dublin 2, D02 X576 Tel: 01 829 0000 Partner, Head of Real Estate: Shane Fahy

William Fry 2 Grand Canal Square Dublin 2, D02 A342 Tel: 01 639 5000 Web: www.williamfry.com Email: info@williamfry.com Partner: Edward Spain

Beauchamps Riverside Two Sir John Rogerson's Quay Dublin 2, D02 KV60 Web: www.beauchamps.ie Partner: Ainsley Heffernan

ByrneWallace 88 Harcourt Street Dublin 2, D02 DK18 Tel: 01 691 5000 Web: www.byrnewallace.com Partner: Michael Walsh

Eugene F. Collins Temple Chambers 3 Burlington Road Dublin 4, D04 RD68 Tel: 01 202 6400 Email: lawyer@efc.ie Head of Property and Construction: Lisa White

Eversheds Sutherland One Earlsfort Centre Earlsfort Terrace Dublin 2 Tel: 01 664 4200 Web: www.eversheds-sutherland.com Email: info@eversheds-sutherland.ie Head of Real Estate: Joe Stanley

Dundrum Business Park Dundrum Road Dublin, D14 E1R9 Tel: 01 215 6100 Email: info@johnpaul.ie

Construction companies BAM Property The Mews Glandore Business Centre Fitzwilliam Place Dublin, D02 PN88 Tel: 045 886400 Email: info@bamproperty.ie Contact: Ger Harrington

CLG Developments Ltd Red Cow Business Park Robinhood Road Clondalkin, Dublin 22 Tel: 01 461 4100 Email: info@clg.ie

Coen Steel Oranmore Industrial Park Oranmore, Co Galway Tel: 091 790 044 Web: www.coensteel.ie Managing Director: David Coen

SIAC Construction Ltd

Ireland’s housing magazine

1 Harbourmaster Place IFSC, Dublin 1 Tel: 01 410 1000 Contact: Michele Connolly/Neil Collins

John Paul Construction

Dolcain House Monastery Road Clondalkin Dublin 22, D22 F8F5 Tel: 01 403 3111 Email: info@siac.ie Chief Executive Officer: Martin Maher

Sisk Wilton Works Naas Road Clondalkin Dublin 22 Tel: 01 409 1500 Web: www.sisk.ie

Real estate and property CBRE Connaught House 1 Burlington Road Dublin 4 Tel: 01 618 5500 Contact: Tim MacMahon/Wesley Rothwell

Lambert Smith Hampton Grafton Buildings 34 Grafton Street Dublin 2 Tel: 01 673 1400 Web: www.lsh.co.uk Director: Elaine Coghlan

Lisney St. Stephen’s Green House Earlsfort Terrace Dublin 2, D02 PH42 Web: www.lisney.com Contact: Christopher Belton

Savills Ireland 20 Dawson Street Dublin 2 D02 NY91 Tel: 01 663 4300 Web: www.savills.ie Managing Director: Angus Potterton

Sherry FitzGerald 164 Shelbourne Road Ballsbridge Dublin 4 Tel: 01 237 6300 Email: info@sherryfitz.ie Chief Executive: Mark FitzGerald

Ireland’s housing magazine

Housing Conference 2016 conference speakers: Lorcan Sirr, Dublin Institute of Technology; Barry O’Leary, Housing Finance Agency; Joan Martin, Louth County Council; Barry Quinlan, Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government; John O’Connor, Housing Agency; and Gerard Cahillane, National Development Finance Agency.

As the 2017 Housing Conference approaches in November, we take a look back at eolas’ previous housing conferences.

Question and answer session.

John O’Connor, Housing Agency with Barbara Page, Ombudsman for Children's Office.

Tom Phillips, Tom Phillips Associates and Bairbre Nic Aongusa, Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government.

2016 conference.

Shirley McCay, British Embassy Dublin with Joan Martin, Louth County Council.

Niamh O’Grady, Mason Hayes + Curran and Des Carville, National Treasury Management Agency.

Tanya Flynn, Paul Flynn Construction and Grainne Kenny, National Finance Development Agency.

Maeve Hartnett and Evelyn Hyder from Dublin Simon Community.

Prezemyslaw Kluczenko, Depaul with Ann Crowley, Office of the Attorney General.