Victor Boyhan: Demands Answers After Ardu Athai Housing Halt

Firstly, you are welcome back Minister, you are no stranger of course to housing and the Department of Housing and Local Government. Today my commencement matter is in relation to Ardu in Athai in County Kildare and I am going to mention a number of other projects also related to County Kildare. Minister, you may or may not be aware that over 70 social housing units in the community building project scheme for Ardu in Athai County Kildare has been halted by the Department of Housing, the Department that is charged with the promotion of sustainable planning and development and tackling our housing crisis. So that is a bit strange to be in a situation where the Department is clearly reconsidering a number of housing projects. Now clearly I would be interested to hear the reason from you later, but the Department of Housing and Local Government cited the overall cost of the project at Ardu being considered too high. The construction of the new homes at Ardu were planned to begin in a few weeks' time. Indeed, builders were on site, proprietary works were on site. This was a ready-to-go project which the Department had huge notice and advancement of and were fully aware of the finances and the planning and the various stages to this proposed development. This did not come out of the blue. So it begs the question, who is minded the shop down in the customs house in relation to our social housing programme? So planning, as I said, approval was in place. The contractors were ready to go. This was all part, of course, of the public-private partnership. The Ardu project was part of Bundle 3. And for those who are not acquainted, because I am conscious there are always people listening in here, there will be tonight or tomorrow, those who would not be acquainted with the bundle system. Housing construction bundles are associated with a specific group of social housing projects within a large PP, public-private partnership programme, where private contractors take on the design, the build, the finance and the operation and tenancy management of a set number of social housing units within the support of the government and within a scheme. The Ardu housing development is not the only one affected by your Department's interventions. The Department has confirmed that housing development under Bundles 4 and 5 are also to be reconsidered in the context of the National Development Finance Agency, and I can see why that might be necessary. So in summary, the developments affected in relation to these reviews are 60 social homes at Old Town Mill in Selbridge County, Kildare, 99 social homes and 32 affordable homes in Clonannock in Glebe in Kildare Town, 104 social homes in Rathaskar in Nace County, Kildare, 98 social homes and 40 affordable homes in Rickardstown and Newbridge County, Kildare. Back to the context of what this commencement is, but that is just to set the scene of the issue in Kildare alone. So in the context of the Ardu housing project in Athai, over 800 people are currently on the housing list for the Athai municipal district area. Just that is only a part of the county. There is a desperate need for four bedrooms, units based on medical and overcrowding assessment and need, and they have been validated, and some of these units would have been four bedrooms. So the Department have now decided to reconsider all aspects of Bundles 4, 5, 6 and indeed 7 in Kildare County Council. So Minister, look, in essence there is a crisis, there is grave disappointment at the lack of progress, and now that the fact that the minister and the department have agreed to reassess all of these at such a late stage, but particularly in relation to Ardu, where people were ready to go, it is very disappointing. I finish on this, I want to acknowledge the work of a former senator here, Mark Wall, now TD and his councillors. They have really been the advocates of this, and I went to look on the ground and meet people on the ground in Athai last Saturday, and I am shocked at what I am hearing, but more importantly what I am seeing, and now what I have validated from cross-reference within the department and within Kildare County Council. Hopefully you will be able to enlighten this minister on these matters. I would like to thank Senator Byhan for raising this very important matter which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage James Brown TD. I am glad to have the opportunity to discuss the future of Social Housing PPP Bundle 3, the individual projects that are due at Munroi County Kildare, and the next steps following the recent decision regarding the procurement process. This Government and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage are committed to increasing the supply of new-built social and affordable homes. Increasing the overall housing supply is a key to addressing the housing challenge. On the 3rd of June, following a detailed evaluation, the Department of Housing and Local Government and Heritage made the considered decision not to proceed to contract award for Social Housing PPP Bundle 3 through the existing PPE programme route. This decision was not taken lightly. It was driven by concerns of the overall cost of the project, which upon review was deemed to be too high to represent the most efficient use of public funds. However, I want to stress that this is not a withdrawal from our commitment to deliver the homes that Bundle 3 was designed to provide, including the site at Ardue, Attenroy County, Kildare. The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, in collaboration with the National Development Finance Agency, the NDFA, and the four local authorities involved, remain fully dedicated to ensuring these social housing units are built as soon as possible. Work is already underway to proceed quickly to an alternative procurement delivery approach. The Department is working with its program leaders, the NDFA, and the relevant local authorities, including Kildare County Council, to ensure that there is no loss of momentum. Meetings are taking place with stakeholders, and initial discussions have confirmed shared urgency and determination to progress these construction projects. Importantly, all four local authorities involved, which you have already name-checked, DCC, Wicknut, Kildare and Sligo have already secured full-time permission for the sites in question, representing a total of 486 homes, 73 of which will be delivered in Attenroy County, Kildare. This is a significant advantage as it allows us to move straight into revising the delivery mechanism. The focus will be on immediately progressing a new procurement strategy likely to be designed and built public works contracts and the adoption of modern methods of construction, MMC. These approaches not only offer efficiencies in terms of time and cost, but also align with our sustainability and quality goals. To conclude, while the original procurement route for PPP Bundle 3 will not be pursued, our commitment to delivering these vital homes remains. With strong partnerships already in place and planning approvals secured, I believe that this alternative strategy will ultimately lead to a successful delivery and a more efficient and more effective and efficient result for public investment. Thank you, Minister. Senator Boyd, you have one minute. Well, Minister, that is exceptionally disappointing and simply not good enough. You were not in a position to tell me when our due in a Thai County Kildare housing scheme would be advanced. It really is appalling. These have planning permission. These have sat on your table in your department. You have been aware of them, as Kildare County Council have confirmed. Your department has been aware of all of these developments that I have read out to you today. If I was on a social housing list of which there were nearly 5,000 in Kildare County Council, I would be disappointed. You have not given a timeline or a date when these works will start. What I would ask you, maybe in your summing up here, Minister, I know you are only here speaking on behalf of the Minister of Housing and I respect that and I accept that, but it is no consolation to the people in Kildare who are sitting on the housing list. And this site is advanced. All of these sites and all of these bundles have planning permission. And what the hell and who is minding the housing issue in the customs house when we were told time in and time out we have a housing crisis. It clearly is not important enough to advance this. So please confirm to me. Tell me that I can go downstairs and pick up the phone and say to the guys down in Kildare County Council. This is going to happen within six weeks, six months or six years. Senator Boyhan, I want to thank Senator Boyhan for raising this very important matter which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Housing and Local Government, James Brown TD. In closing, while the decision not to proceed with the original procurement route for PPP Bundle 3 was difficult, it was made in the best interest of value for the exchequer and long-term programme viability. My Department's responsibility is to ensure that every project we delivered is not only aligned with our social objectives, but also financially sustainable and accountable to the public. What remains unchanged is the commitment to delivering these 486 much-needed social homes, including the planned 73 units for Atai County Kildare. We are fortunate to have planning permission in place and we have a highly engaged partner across the NDFA and local authorities who are ready to move at pace. This allows us to move quickly into an alternative procurement and delivery strategies that are more cost-effective and efficient. The Department of Housing and Local Government has already begun coordinated discussions with stakeholders to agree on the next steps. We will move swiftly to explore procurement options and innovative construction methods to meet delivery targets in a timely manner. and confident and confident and confident .