Ireland's Housing Activation Office Must Prioritize Large-Scale Sites for Thousands of Homes
Ireland's new Housing Activation Office, led by Garret Doocey, is working with local authorities to fund infrastructure for housing. To solve the national housing shortfall, the office must prioritize large, strategic sites for thousands of homes, not hundreds, to achieve economies of scale and integrated development.
Ireland has established the Housing Activation Office, which is collaborating with local authorities and providing funds for infrastructure to expand smaller sites. Local authorities are also investing in infrastructure to convert zoned land into housing.
However, Garret Doocey, the office's leader, needs to focus on unlocking and delivering housing at a much larger scale by prioritizing strategic sites capable of accommodating thousands of homes, rather than hundreds. This shift is crucial for addressing Ireland's national housing shortfall, as current output is too small.
Large-scale development offers coherence, efficiency, and certainty, allowing for integrated planning of infrastructure, transport, schools, and green spaces. It also provides economies of scale, making projects more commercially viable by spreading high construction and infrastructure costs. The Housing Activation Office must play a decisive role by concentrating on a defined pipeline of mega-sites and ensuring rapid, coordinated infrastructure delivery. While positive shifts in approach are evident, greater consistency and urgency are needed to maximize impact.