Additional 480 acres zoned for housing in Mayo could deliver 3,000 new homes
Mayo County Council has zoned an additional 480 acres of land for housing development, potentially paving the way for up to 3,000 new homes.
The council is reportedly the first local authority in Ireland to have its variation approved following an appeal from Minister for Housing James Browne.
He emphasised that local authorities who act quickly on zoning additional land will receive faster support from the Department, as well as the infrastructure needed to develop housing.
In July, the Government set new housing targets for Mayo County Council of 1,111 homes annually until 2034, more than double the previous target.
The zoning follows a recommendation made to the council in September to open 480 acres of Strategic Residential Reserve Lands through a variation to the Mayo County Development Plan.
Welcoming the zoning, Cllr Peter Flynn described it as a positive step in tackling the housing crisis.
"I'm delighted that we have 195 hectares of additional land being zoned in our county," he said.
Cllr Flynn noted that, based on a "conservative estimation of around 15 plus houses per hectare," the land could potentially deliver up to 3,000 homes over the course of the County Development Plan.
"When you take that in the context of 30,000 being delivered in the country per year, you get a flavour of how significant this amount of land is," he said.
Cllr Flynn, head of the Strategic Policy Committee for Housing, noted that while the zoning is a major step forward, there are still challenges in addressing the housing crisis, particularly in relation to attracting builders and managing construction costs.
Councillors highlighted the need to support smaller developers looking to build six, eight, or ten houses at a time. Since the 2008 financial crash, state banks have been reluctant to lend to small-scale builders.
"It's important to have a second stage of this [zoning agreement], not that we can do it from this council, but that we get the small builders back building in the towns and villages across the county," Cllr Michael Burke said.
Cllr Gerry Murray agreed, highlighting his party's proposal for a state-owned bank. He noted that, even though the land is now available, it does not automatically sell, which is compounding the housing crisis.
The Sinn Féin representative added that small-scale builders need financial support to make the most of the 480 acres available for development.
Cllr Murray explained the difficulties small builders have faced over the past 15 years: "They are unable to get sufficient finance from the banking institutions, as they are extremely cautious since the economy went belly up in 2008.
"There are builders out there building four or five houses. If they were given sufficient finance, they could build 20 or 25 at a time - that is a problem," he said.
Sinn Féin proposed a state-owned bank that would provide this type of financial support to small builders.
The party has also suggested that local authorities begin purchasing land banks to service and develop them, and then allow builders to come in.
Once the units are sold, the builders would reimburse the council for the cost of the site.
"That is not a new or a radical issue, it is used in America all the time under the Florida Model. It works, and it accelerates the supply of houses," he explained.
He explained that the proposal had previously been put before all political parties and said that all of them supported the initiative and could see the logic in it.
"It is beyond me why the Government seems reluctant to go down this route, particularly when it has been replicated in America, and it is a proven and tried model," he said.
Cllr Adrian Forkan added that the council needs to work with developers looking to build anywhere between 10 and 20 houses in villages, particularly in east Mayo outside the main towns.
"As a council, we should be giving these builders as much help as we can to try and solve our housing crisis. We need these people, and they are willing to do it," he said.
Another area raised by councillors during the discussion was the planning and decision-making process.
Cllr Flynn proposed that the council include an item on the January agenda to explain the decision-making process, which he said has become a source of confusion.
At present, decisions can involve a planner, senior planner, the director of planning, and even the municipal district, he noted.
"You wonder why there are so many layers involved in the planning process," he said, urging the council to review the system and provide an overview of how it works.
His proposal was seconded by Cllr Donna Sheridan.
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.