Social Democrats Housing spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan TD has welcomed the announcement by Fingal County Council of a new affordable housing scheme at Dun Emer in Lusk, which he believes should be replicated nationwide.
The scheme will be offered in partnership with Ó Cualann Cohousing Alliance, with prices ranging from €166,000 for a two-bed apartment to €258,000 for a three-bed semi-detached home.
Commenting, Deputy O’Callaghan said:
“The Fingal County Council affordable housing project at Dun Emer in Lusk is a good example of how affordable housing can be delivered. The prices of homes in this project range from €166,000 – €258,000. This equates to a mortgage repayment of between €698 – €1,085 per month over 30 years. This is a much better way to deliver affordable housing than subsidising private sector delivery, which leads to increasing house prices.
“The Government needs to learn from this model and roll-out similar projects nationwide. Fianna Fáil promised 50,000 direct build affordable homes during the election this time last year – this year they will build just 400 of those. We need to start building affordable housing at scale so that people who are locked into renting can afford to own their own home.
“Direct delivery of affordable homes by the State is a far better approach than relying on the private sector alone. As a result, the homes in this project will be at prices that people can genuinely afford. If it can be done in Fingal, there is no reason why it can’t be done elsewhere. I’ll be calling on the Minister to begin a rapid roll-out of affordable homes across the State.”
February 9, 2021