18. Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030

On the 13^th of November 2025, the Government published a new housing plan called “Delivering Homes, Building Communities.”  The Plan covers the period from 2025-2030 and focuses on several critical areas to improve housing supply and community infrastructure.  The Plan aims to facilitate the development of 300,000 homes by 2030, including 72,000 social homes and 90,000 affordable housing units.  The Plan not only aims to build homes, but to build communities by facilitating the development of housing within sustainable, connected towns, villages and cities along with access to improved infrastructure, services and social supports.  

The primary objective of the Plan aims to build on the progress achieved under Housing for All and facilitate the development of additional housing units through a number of regulatory reforms, tax incentives and the State’s largest investment in infrastructure through the provision of €275 billion under the National Development Plan.

The Plan is structured around two key Pillars:

Activating Supply – The primary aim of Pillar 1 is to remove structural barriers to homebuilding and facilitate the development of 300,000 dwellings by 2030. It is envisaged that this can be achieved through a number of key actions that include:

• Ensure a strong pipeline of zoned and serviced land: The Plan aims to ensure that there is a strong pipeline of zoned and serviced land available to support the delivery of 300,000 homes nationwide and fully implement the Planning and Development Act 2024 to speed up the planning process.  This will be aided by the provision of significant funding for the delivery of essential infrastructure including water, wastewater, electricity and road infrastructure necessary to facilitate residential development.  Key actions outlined in the Plan include the investment of €12.2 billion secured for the water sector; the allocation of €3.5 billion in equity funding to grid infrastructure; the introduction of a €1 billion Infrastructure Investment Fund and the establishment of a Housing Activation Office to enhance collaboration and co-ordination across infrastructure providers.
• Create the conditions to attract required investment: Plans to invest record levels of exchequer funding with c. €20 billion for new social and affordable housing delivery:
  • Capitalising the Land Development Agency (LDA) with an additional €2.5 billion to support their expanded role in the delivery of social and affordable homes.
• Increase skills and support the adoption of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC):
  • Increased emphasis on the scale, quality, speed, efficiency and sustainability of the construction industry in order to meet the ambitious targets.
  • Optimising the NSAI’s Agrément Certification process to support innovation in construction products.
  • Doubling of investment in the Built to Innovate programme to drive adoption of efficient construction practices and the use of MMC in at least 25% of all new social and affordable homes.
  • Introduction of a Renewed Action Plan to promote careers in construction and introduction of a new 5-year Action Plan for Apprenticeships.
• Work toward ending dereliction and vacancy: A number of key incentives aimed at ending dereliction and reducing vacancy levels are outlined that include:
  • The introduction of a new derelict property tax (administered and collected by the Revenue Commissioners) aimed at bringing c. 20,000 homes into use, supported by the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant; and a strengthened and extended Living City Initiative.

Supporting People – The second Pillar sets out a series of key actions aimed at ending homelessness, increasing affordability and addressing the housing needs of people as they progress through life. In partnership with various authorities (Local Authorities, LDA & AHBs), the Plan aims to provide accommodation for the most vulnerable in our communities, make buying and renting homes more affordable and support the development of villages, towns and cities nationwide. In order to achieve its objectives, the Government will aim to:

• Focus on ending homelessness, deliver homes for older people and support social inclusion: Reaffirms the Government’s approach to addressing the housing crisis. Key actions include:
  • Provision of €100 million for the acquisition of second-hand properties to support those in homeless emergency accommodation.
  • Development of a Child and Family Action Plan, c. 2,000 ‘wraparound’ tenancies via the Housing First Programme (to ensure that sufficient allocations are made to reduce long-term family homelessness).
  • Inclusion of a number of measures aimed at improving the accommodation needs of older people, disabled people and members of the Traveller community.
• Deliver an average of 12,000 new social homes every year over the lifetime of the Plan:
  • Introduction of a new single-stage approval for applicable social housing projects.
  • Expansion and streamlining of the Land Acquisition Fund and financial incentives for Local Authorities to exceed annual social housing targets.
  • Local Authorities will be required to ensure that a correct mix of social housing units are provided as per the requirements of Housing Delivery Action Plans.
• Promote affordable homeownership, protect renters and make buying and renting homes more affordable:
  • Deliver c.15,000 affordable homes per year under the Starter Home Programme and expand the role/remit of the LDA.
  • Provide continued support for the Help to Buy and First Home Schemes.
  • Protection for those living in rental accommodation through providing rent controls on a national basis, reforming the current system of Rent Pressure Zones to promote new investment in the rental market.
  • Legislation to provide stronger protections for tenants and strengthening the regulation of the private rental sector by the Residential Tenancies Board.
  • Initiation of a rent price register and increased regulation on the short-term letting sector.
• Invest in the built environment of towns, villages and cities across the country to enhance community well-being: Provide support to small and medium sized builders to develop new mixed-tenure communities on serviced sites in towns and villages, support communities affected by defective concrete block and defective apartment developments through remediation schemes, publish a National Planning Statement on rural housing and provide funding for Town Centre First Model to ensure a high quality of life for those living in rural communities.

The “Delivering Homes, Building Communities” Action Plan is an ambitious and comprehensive plan with a large-scale target of facilitating the development of 300,000 homes by 2030. The Plan includes a broad set of measures to provide for increased levels of construction along with measures to tackle supply, cost, regulation, social housing, homelessness and community infrastructure. The Plan acknowledges that effective collaboration across many government departments along with the support of local authorities, semi-state bodies and the private sector is required.

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