HOUSING Minister James Browne has promised that he is “treating the housing crisis as an emergency” as he vented his fury at the blockages that are preventing homes being built in Ireland.
The Government is scrambling to address the housing crisis with a series of motions passed by Cabinet aimed at increasing supply and protecting renters.
The Cabinet signed off on emergency legislation to extend the rent pressure zone two per cent cap to the entire country which is expected to kick in next week.
Ministers also gave the green light to a plan to give the Land Development Agency more powers to purchase and build homes on land.
Former HSE boss Paul Reid was also appointed as the Chair of a newly revamped Coimisiun Pleanala with a salary of €50,000.
This new look planning authority will be given the power to deal with applications faster as the Government looks to remove blockages that see people go to the courts to delay housing projects.
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Housing Minister James Browne today told the Irish Sun that people with no interest in winning a court case were weaponising the system simply to delay or frustrate developments.
He said: “There are frustrations in looking at how we get from 30,000 to 50,000 and 60,000 homes per year and issues around our courts.
“They have been weaponised by people who have little or no interest in terms of property or even winning their case – simply that they could hold the process up in courts long enough.
“That is why we’re addressing the judicial review piece.
“We have planners that are under huge pressure in terms of what they are turning over in planning applications and that’s why we’re using the exemptions piece to free up the work of the planners.
“There are a number of other frustrations that I am working through piece by piece to see what we can do to simplify and standardise everything and get to that point then where we have certainty from the minute somebody decides they want to deliver homes for people to those keys being handed over to those families.
“The process can only go as quick as the slowest part of it so that’s why I’m going through each point step by step.”
The Minister promised that there would be “significant announcements” to be made in the coming weeks on housing as he promised the public: “I am treating the housing crisis as an emergency.”