Social Housing – Simpler Process, Faster Delivery?

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has announced new measures to accelerate the delivery of social housing. Our Construction, Infrastructure & Utilities team analyses these new measures and their likely impact on the Built Environment sector.

What you need to know

• Social housing delivery statistics were published on 2 July
• The 2024 target for social housing was not achieved
• Accelerated delivery of housing is a key part of the Programme for Government 2025
• The Minister for Housing has just announced measures designed to improve the delivery of social housing

The Programme for Government commits the current Government to building more than 300,000 new homes by the end of 2030. As part of this commitment, the Government aims to build more than 12,000 new social homes a year.

The recently published statistics from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage show that in 2024 a total of 20,292 social houses were delivered, which is below the overall 2024 target of 23,330 social homes. Within the sub-target of built social houses, only 7,871 were delivered against a target of 9,300 homes.

The 2024 build target for social housing was ultimately missed. It was also significantly lower than the commitment set out in the Programme for Government. In response, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage announced on 2 July new measures aimed at accelerating the delivery of social housing.

One size fits all

The key measure proposed is the introduction of a simplified and standardised approval process for social housing projects. At present, only schemes above a particular size and value qualify for a single-stage approval process, while all others must go through a more complex four-stage approval process. The proposal aims to replace the four-stage process, allowing all social housing projects, regardless of size or value, procured by local authorities and approved housing bodies to follow a single-stage process. This change will bring consistency in the approach to all social housing projects, irrespective of size and value.

Further benefits anticipated from this change in approach include:

• The requirement for additional detailed submissions throughout the project lifecycle will be removed as a result of the streamlined approval
• A more efficient sign off process on projects
• Greater levels of cost control for local authorities, approved housing bodies, and the Exchequer
• Efficiencies in tendering, supply and programming as there will be greater clarity across all local authorities as to what is required, and
• Facilitation of greater use of Modern Methods of Construction in new build social housing projects

At the same time as announcing these measures, the Minister has published a breakdown of the social housing delivered by each local authority in order to demonstrate transparency and accountability across the sector.

Conclusion

The proposed change is expected to take effect in Q3 of this year and will apply for new project proposals being developed. While the specifics as to how this new streamlined process will operate still need to be refined, a simplified approval process will materially benefit the delivery of social housing. Smaller schemes, in particular, are expected to benefit most from this change.

For more information and expert advice, contact a member of our Construction, Infrastructure & Utilities team.

The content of this article is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute legal or other advice.