
Housing Minister confirms 106 social houses planned for Wicklow won't be delivered
Despite calls from local elected representatives to reverse the decision in recent weeks, following a review of the costs associated, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has decided not to proceed with the contract award on a value for money basis.
In response to a parliamentary question from Wicklow TD John Brady, Mr Browne indicated the overall costs of the Bundle 3 project were considered too high.
'All sites within the Bundle 3 project have full planning permission and all of them will be delivered by way of alternative procurement and delivery strategies.' he added.
A meeting of the Public Accounts Committee last month heard only a contract had been signed with the preferred tender who carry out site investigations. The contract to build the units is a separate process. That requires approval from the Department, which has since announced it will not proceed.
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Irish Independent
10 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Housing Minister confirms 106 social houses planned for Wicklow won't be delivered
A Public-Private Partnership project was set to deliver the homes with a total of 486 due to be constructed at sites in Blessington, Dublin, Kildare and Sligo. Despite calls from local elected representatives to reverse the decision in recent weeks, following a review of the costs associated, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has decided not to proceed with the contract award on a value for money basis. In response to a parliamentary question from Wicklow TD John Brady, Mr Browne indicated the overall costs of the Bundle 3 project were considered too high. 'All sites within the Bundle 3 project have full planning permission and all of them will be delivered by way of alternative procurement and delivery strategies.' he added. A meeting of the Public Accounts Committee last month heard only a contract had been signed with the preferred tender who carry out site investigations. The contract to build the units is a separate process. That requires approval from the Department, which has since announced it will not proceed.


Irish Times
13 hours ago
- Irish Times
Dáil committee to scrutinise how Tusla has spent millions on ‘complex litigation'
The Child and Family Agency, Tusla , is facing an investigation by the Dáil Public Accounts Committee (PAC) over how millions of euro have been run up in legal costs over number of years arising from 'complex litigation' and a protected disclosure. The costs include about €416,000 spent on a report on issues raised in a whistleblower disclosure made to the Minister for Children. The report was later quashed by the courts. Tusla's accounts signal that the State Claims Agency will this year record significant additional costs arising from the same circumstances. The chairman of the PAC, John Brady of Sinn Féin , said the amounts involved represented 'extraordinary levels of expenditure'. READ MORE Tusla told The Irish Times it cannot comment on legal cases. However, some details were provided by the State's financial watchdog, the Comptroller and Auditor General Seamus McCarthy, and in a governance statement in Tusla's annual accounts for 2024, which have just been published. Mr McCarthy told the PAC on Thursday that he wanted to draw attention to some matters including compensation and legal costs incurred by Tusla and the State Claims Agency in respect of four cases taken against Tusla. He said the compensation payments to the four individuals totalled €799,000, while plaintiff legal costs of €949,000 were paid in two cases and Tusla's own legal costs incurred to date are €1.6 million. Mr McCarthy said the legal costs of the State Claims Agency for these matters are not yet known. The Tusla annual accounts show€848,000 was paid out in legal costs last year as well as €296,000 in legal compensation. The accounts refer to legal settlements and costs relating to 'complex litigation cases' arising from circumstances before 2018. In a governance statement and board members' report, it says a protected disclosure to the Government resulted in Tusla's board engaging an external investigator to look into the matter. The investigator's report was nullified by the courts following litigation. 'Tusla's own costs in relation to this action have amounted to just under €1.6 million to date,' the accounts note. This figure includes €416,000 for the third-party investigation and report. The case was settled after mediation, with Tusla paying €200,000 damages and the State Claims Agency paying an additional €100,000 award to the individual. Legal costs have not yet been finalised, the accounts report notes. A second case, involving 'complex' constitutional and administrative law issues, was settled via mediation with €49,500 damages paid. The other party's legal costs were €870,000, the report says. Separately, the accounts say, two additional separate awards were made through the State Claims Agency to individuals 'arising from the same circumstances'. An award of €309,000 was made in 2025 (legal costs relating to this have not been finalised), while €140,000 was made in 2023, carrying with it a €79,000 legal costs bill. Tusla said it 'does not comment on individual legal cases or specific settlements due to legal confidentiality, the integrity of the process and the rights of the individuals involved'. The agency said a detailed note was provided in its annual report and financial statements. Mr McCarthy said it was for Tusla to provide explanations to the committee regarding the issues involved. The committee said it would seek for Tusla to appear before it in the autumn.


Irish Times
13 hours ago
- Irish Times
New laws aimed at fast-tracking apartment size changes could result in High Court challenges, lawyers warn
Proposed planning law changes introducing a fast-track process to apply new apartment size guidelines to already approved units could lead to a raft of High Court challenges, legal sources have warned. The planned amendments to the Planning and Development Bill 2025 would allow developers who have already secured planning permission to build smaller and more apartments in the same scheme without submitting a fresh planning application. Instead they could apply for a 'permitted modification', which the relevant planning authority must determine within eight weeks. Minister for Housing James Browne last Tuesday issued the new apartment guidelines, which allow developers to build smaller apartments in a greater density. The guidelines reduce the minimum size of a studio apartment from 37 sq m to 32 sq m. They also do away with restrictions on the specific mix of units within a development. The move is aimed at closing a viability gap between the cost of building apartments and their achievable sale price. READ MORE There was a fear this change to standards would result in further delays to building, as developers would have to resubmit planning applications to benefit from them. There are about 57,000 apartments proposed for Dublin for which construction has not yet started, the Department of Housing said last week. In an effort to address these concerns over delay, the department has proposed amending the Planning Act to allow developers to incorporate changes to their scheme without making a fresh application. This amendment, seen by The Irish Times, will go to the Seanad for approval on Tuesday, before going back to the Dáil on Wednesday. Part 44B of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025 outlines how a developer with planning permission could modify their permission in line with the new apartment standard guidelines. They could apply to the original planning authority, either the local council or An Coimisiún Pleanála , for a 'permitted modification' by providing revised drawings. The planning authority must approve the revisions within eight weeks of receiving them. The change cannot be granted as a permitted modification if the development has already commenced, if an environmental impact assessment is required, or if the changes would result in the number of dwellings in a strategic development zone exceeding the number permitted by a planning scheme. The Bill says any decision made under this amendment cannot be appealed to An Coimisiún Pleanála. However, one legal source said the legislation is flawed and potentially unconstitutional due to the lack of public consultation on what could be a significant change to a developer's building plan. Any 'permitted modification' decision could be challenged in the High Court by way of judicial review, sources said. Another planning lawyer said the new guidelines for apartment standards are quite modest in what they are trying to achieve and because of this the amended legislation came as no surprise. However, they also said that if an existing planning permission had previously been the subject of a judicial review, it is unlikely a developer will seek to amend their current permission by way of this 'permitted alteration' clause because it would open them up to the possibility of another unwanted legal action. The Social Democrats' housing spokesman Rory Hearne TD said he is 'deeply cynical' of the changes to the Bill. He claimed they point to a Government 'ramming through amendments' to the Act, 'giving no time for detailed discussion or analysis of changes that will have profoundly negative impacts on housing for decades to come'. 'These changes are another example of the Government sacrificing younger generations to the investor funds and developers who are clearly the priority interests for the Government,' the deputy said. 'We will be vigorously opposing these changes being bulldozed through the Dáil and Seanad this week,' he said.