Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 22 January 2026
212. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the progress made in delivering affordable purchase and cost-rental housing in Cork; the number of schemes approved and commenced to date; and if additional sites or funding streams are being considered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4139/26]
View answerIn recent years, the Government has introduced several schemes to assist people to buy or rent homes.
Since 2021, close to 19,000 supports nationwide have been provided by way of these measures, including over 2,600 in Cork (1,154 in Cork City and 1,466 in Cork County). Under the new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, these supports will be retained, streamlined and expanded to form a Starter Homes Programme, to ensure that first time buyers and renters in need of support continue to be supported by the State.
My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on affordable housing delivery activity by local authorities and other delivery partners. Delivery data up to end Q3 2025 is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website, at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/.
Both Cork City and Cork County Councils have established a significant pipeline of affordable housing delivery in the Cork area and continue to work proactively with all delivery partners.
Cork City Council has funding approval in place for ten schemes to deliver 465 affordable homes, with the support of the Affordable Housing Fund, by end 2027, of which 312 have been delivered by end Q3 2025. A further scheme is currently under assessment, with the potential to deliver an additional 88 affordable homes by end 2027.
184 homes have been delivered in the Cork City Council local authority area, through the Cost Rental Equity Loan (CREL) scheme since 2021, and a further 996 are due for delivery by the end of 2029.
In Cork County, 20 schemes have received funding approval under the Affordable Housing Fund, to support the delivery of 612 affordable purchase and 169 cost rental homes by end 2027. To date, 287 affordable homes have been delivered. A further two schemes are currently under assessment, with the potential to delivery an additional 65 affordable homes.
40 cost rental homes are due to be delivered in Cork County Council local authority area through CREL.
The Land Development Agency (LDA) is also delivering affordable housing at scale in Cork. To date, the LDA has delivered 92 affordable homes at Clonmore, Cork, and is currently progressing the development of two sites in Cork City (Marina Depot, Horgan’s Quay), through its market engagement and partnership initiative, Project Tosaigh. The LDA is also progressing delivery on state land sites, such as on the site of the former HSE Hospital at St. Kevin's, where construction is underway on phase one comprising 97 homes, with delivery targeted in 2026 of a total of 265 homes. The LDA is also progressing a project at the vacant ESB land at Sarsfield Road, in Wilton, where planning has been granted for 345 new homes, which will include a tenure mix of affordable purchase houses and cost rental apartments.
Furthermore, the LDA’s 2nd Report on Relevant Public Lands 2025 includes 14 parcels of land identified in the Cork City and 1 site in Cork County, with potential for housing led development.
Building on this progress, my Department will continue to engage with all delivery partners, including Cork City and Cork County Councils, to further the development of the affordable housing delivery pipeline, to meet affordable housing needs in the Cork area.
