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The Green Party has called on the Minister for the
Environment to provide more local authority homes. The call comes as
figures show that Local Authorities are failing to benefit from laws
that allow up to 20% of new homes to be allocated to those on lower
incomes.
Under the Planning and Development Act 2000,
developers were obliged to provide up to 20% of their sites for
social and affordable homes. The 20% requirement could be met
through providing housing units, land or sites to Local Authorities.
However in 2002 when Martin Cullen TD was Minister for the
Environment he introduced changes in the law that allow developers
to pay cash to Local Authorities instead of building homes. It
appears that this cash is not being used exclusively to provide
social housing.
Green Party Environment spokesperson Ciarán Cuffe TD
stated:
"The law needs to be changed to make sure that the
spirit of the original legislation is not lost. At the moment it's a
case of 'take the money and run' from the Local Authority Managers.
We need to focus on delivering affordable homes. Martin Cullen
filleted the original legislation, and as a result we're not seeing
the housing units that were promised.
"Minister Roche should now ensure that the law is
changed to deliver more housing. People in my constituency of Dún
Laoghaire should not be forced against their will into living in
Westmeath, Laois or Wexford and commuting long distances to work. |
