Fianna Fáil TD for Kildare North Frank O’Rourke says the housing crisis is being exacerbated due to a lack of infrastructure to facilitate construction.
Deputy O’Rourke made the comments after raising the issue in the Dáil with Minister for Housing Simon Coveney.
“It has been well acknowledged that we need to construct housing in desirable areas in order to tackle the current accommodation crisis. There are a number of areas in Kildare where planning has been granted, but construction is delayed because the necessary infrastructure for waste water and ring-roads are not yet in place. In some cases the construction of housing has been delayed for in excess of three years,” said Deputy O’Rourke.
He feels that the government should allocate more time in trying to upgrade the infrastructure in such areas where housing projects are due to begin, while acknowledging that homes cannot be built without such plans in place as it would only cause further problems.
“The Government needs to focus on developing the necessary infrastructure to allow housing construction to begin where planning permission has been granted and outstanding appeals dealt with. We can’t allow a situation to develop where new houses are constructed without the necessary infrastructure in place, this will only create further problems in the future as they can not be occupied.
“An effort also needs to be made to tackle the slow pace in completing the construction of new housing estates. In some instances construction grinds to a halt before the final works have been completed and issues arise for companies trying to get an extension to their planning for that site. I’ve asked Minister Coveney to examine irregularities in the planning code to ensure this problem is addressed. The current situation is not acceptable” Minister Coveney is due to meet me next week to discuss the issues I have raised. concluded Deputy O’Rourke.
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