15 October 2016
By Bryan T. Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
Senior industry representatives from the Construction Industry Federation’s Irish Home Builders Association (IHBA) will meet with local builders in Limerick next week to discuss blockages to housing supply across the southern region.
Recent statistics from the department of Housing, Planning and Local Government show that only 1713 housing units were commenced in the Munster area this year, more than half of these are in the Cork area alone. This is significantly below the demand for new houses.
Mike Ryan, chairman if the CIF Mid-West Branch said: “Many Irish homebuilders in our region are finding residential building very difficult. There are a multitude of reasons for this; from access to finance for getting projects off the ground, the lengthy planning process, high tax and levy rates, a looming skills shortage, and the restrictions in place for purchasers. While we welcome the announcements from Government under Budget 2017 to introduce a Help to Buy Scheme for 1st time buyers, more needs to be done to lift the remaining constraints on getting residential building projects up and running as quickly as possible. The entire regulatory environment for homebuilders has altered. Homebuilders need to be kept updated on these changes, and this event offers them that opportunity.”
The seminar will take place on 17th October in the Castletroy Hotel, Limerick. It is open to CIF/ IHBA members and non-members, specifically tradespeople and housebuilders operating in the area. They will be briefed in relation to the evolving regulatory environment and attendees will have the opportunity to discuss various challenges they are facing and put forward to solutions. The workshop will map out what is holding builders back from getting residential housebuilding moving across the country, and provide solutions to overcome these obstacles.
