Minister Encourages Local Authorities To Submit Funding Proposals For Unfinished Estates
Minister for Housing and Planning, Jan O’Sullivan, TD, today encouraged local authorities to submit proposals to resolve unfinished housing developments under a special €10m fund announced in Budget 2014.
According to Minister O’Sullivan, “there has been substantial progress in tackling unfinished estates since the Government came into office. Since 2010 there has been a 56% decrease in the number of unfinished developments.
“However, there are still families living on 992 unfinished developments across the country. I am determined to maintain the momentum achieved to date to ensure that work continues to address the concerns of families in this situation.
“Working in conjunction with my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin, TD, I announced a new €10m fund to kick start the resolution process on some of the most seriously problematic unfinished developments in Budget 2014. The closing date for applications under the fund is 28th February and I would encourage local authorities with appropriate developments to apply for funding under the scheme,” said Minister O’Sullivan.
The €10m Special Resolution Fund is principally designed to address deficiencies in public infrastructure, such as roads, footpaths, public lighting and open spaces. It is envisaged that addressing these problems will unlock the potential for developers/funders to invest additional capital to finish out the housing element of the development. Many of the developments that require this type of investment are currently in limbo and inactive because the public infrastructure deficit deters any potential buyers from expressing an interest in the estate.
“The vast majority of unfinished estates are resolved by the developer/funder who agrees a plan to resolve issues on an estate. This may often involve scaling back on the original plans while ensuring that the units that are complete can be occupied. This will continue to be the case. However, as we work to resolve this issue once and for all there are a cohort of very problematic estates where, as things stand, there is little prospect of resolution. This fund is intended to give these estates, where there are residents present, a realistic hope of resolution. I would encourage local authorities to submit relevant proposals for funding under the Special Resolution Fund,” concluded Minister O’Sullivan.