CIF statistics show recovery in sector

THE latest Construction Industry Federation (CIF) analysis shows that 14,917 new houses were started between January and October last year. THIS represents an increase of 35.6 per cent in the commencement of new housing from 11,000 in the same period in 2016

IF the trend from the first ten months of the years continued the CIF estimated that total commencements should have approached 18,000 by the end of 2017.

“The ESRI recently upgraded the required housing output target for Ireland from 25,000 per year to 35,000 per year. The commencement of 15,000 houses throughout the first ten months of 2017 is clear progress,” said CIF Director General Tom Parlon.

“However, our members are reporting difficulties in four key areas that will prevent the achievement of a sustainable level of housing output. These are A lack of available finance outside the greater Dublin area for house builders; delays in the planning system; requirements in apartment building, making it financially unviable and a lack of available serviced land (i.e. land lacking infrastructure such as roads and water connections),” Mr Parlon said.

“Currently housebuilding, particularly outside Dublin, is often not viable as many housebuilders cannot gain access to finance at the right terms from banks or other sources. In order to ensure balanced regional development across Ireland and increase the industry’s capacity to deliver housing, it must be viable for construction companies to build,”he said.

The CIF analysis has also shown that the level of new residential completions for 2017 will be around 18,000 units, with this expected to increase to approximately 22,000 in 2018.

Dr William Sheehan, Conference Organiser; Prof Ursula Kilkelly, Dean of Law at UCC and Micheál Martin TD, Fianna Fáil leader pictured at the launch of the inaugural Killarney Economic Conference which takes place this month. SEE PAGE 6