People should ‘be careful’ about objecting to housing projects, says Taoiseach

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has urged people to “be careful” about objecting to proposed housing developments, saying it was taking too long for building projects to get off the ground.

Mr Martin said “it can take an inordinate length of time to get a project from conception through to actually being built and given to people”.

Speaking to reporters in Co Cavan on Thursday, Mr Martin said supply was “absolutely essential” to dealing with the housing crisis.

“We need to build more houses. We need to get more building done as fast as we can,” he said.

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While it was hoped to have 25,000 new homes built by the end of 2022, that was not enough, he said. “We need to be building about 35,000 per annum, if not more, to deal with the growing population and the growing demand for housing. And we need housing of all types”.

Mr Martin said a “very substantial number” of social houses would be built this year. While he did not single out one particular reason for construction delays, the Taoiseach said, “I think people should be careful about objecting to developments.”

The Government’s Housing for All plan was the only substantive policy out there, he added. “I haven’t seen any other policy document that is anywhere near as detailed.”

Mr Martin was speaking at the Slieve Russell Hotel in Ballyconnell, where the 13th OECD Rural Development Conference is being held. It is the first time Ireland has hosted the event, which continues on Friday.

Delegates from all OECD countries in attendance participated in a discussion on Thursday on the impact of the war in Ukraine, chaired by Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue.

The Taoiseach told reporters the number of asylums seekers coming to Ireland could be close to 15,000 by the end of the year, separate to the estimated 50,000 coming from Ukraine.

Describing the situation as “very challenging”, Mr Martin said, “What it reflects is a very disturbed world, a world where conflict, hunger and repressive regimes are too many.”

He said issues such as drought in the Horn of Africa and conflict in different countries in the Middle East were contributing to the migration pull. “People want to leave areas of conflict. It really is a reflection of where the world is today,” he said.

“We have never had to deal with such high numbers in such a short space of time.”

Paying tribute to Irish people for accommodating so many so quickly, he said it had been very challenging for the civil servants in the Department of Children as well.

“It is challenging and it is difficult, and it will remain difficult to the end of the year,” Mr Martin said.