Ireland fell short of its ambitious housing targets for 2024 with a 6.7% decrease in new home construction compared to the previous year. Despite government predictions of exceeding targets, data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) reveals that only 30,300 homes were completed, significantly below the 33,000 target set by the Housing for All plan. The apartment sector experienced the most significant decline, with completions dropping by 24%. Sinn Féin housing spokesperson, Eoin Ó Broin, criticized the government's housing targets and attributed the slowdown in construction to a lack of necessary reforms in both public and private housing delivery.
Last year saw a 6.7% decline in new home construction compared to 2023, falling short of the government's ambitious target of 33,000 homes set forth in the Housing for All plan. Data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) revealed that a total of 30,300 homes were completed in 2024, down from 32,330 in the previous year. This dip in construction is particularly evident in the apartment sector, where completions dropped by 24% to 8,763 units, compared to 2023.
The number of single dwellings built also saw a slight decrease of 2.2%, reaching 5,367 units.Despite these setbacks, the number of homes constructed within housing schemes saw a 4.6% increase, totaling 16,200 units. The CSO's statement highlights the regional distribution of completions, noting that over half (54.3%) occurred in Dublin or the mid-east region (Kildare, Louth, Meath, and Wicklow). Furthermore, the CSO observed a 14.5% decline in completions during the final quarter of 2024 (October to December) compared to the same period in 2023.This decline in construction figures stands in stark contrast to earlier pronouncements by some government officials who predicted an increase in housing completions. In July 2024, outgoing Taoiseach Simon Harris projected that the country would exceed its housing targets with nearly 40,000 homes built, including the largest social housing build since 1975. Similarly, Minister for Housing Darragh O'Brien confidently stated in October 2024 that the Housing for All target of 33,450 homes would be surpassed, anticipating completions in the high 30,000s to low 40,000s. However, Sinn Féin's housing spokesperson, Eoin Ó Broin, criticized the government's housing targets for 2024 as inadequate and pointed to the CSO's quarterly figures warning of a decline in new home completions. He argued that the government's failure to implement necessary reforms in both public and private housing delivery was the root cause of the stagnation in construction, and warned that if this trend continued, the housing crisis would worsen
Housing Crisis Construction Ireland Government Targets Central Statistics Office (CSO) Housing For All
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