Housing targets missed
A recent report from the Central Statistics Office revealed that the Irish government missed its housing targets in 2024, completing only 30,330 new homes, which is 6.7% lower than the previous year and significantly below the promised 40,000 homes. This shortfall underscores the ongoing challenges in meeting housing demands, particularly with a notable decline in apartment completions by 24.1% and single dwellings by 2.2%. Despite these setbacks, the construction industry saw a rapid expansion, with 60,240 housing units beginning construction in 2024. Experts remain optimistic about the future, predicting that housing completions could reach 45,000 in 2025, although there is still significant uncertainty surrounding these projections.
James Browne T.D. has replaced his Fianna Fáil colleague, Darragh O’Brien as the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in the newly formed Dáil coalition.
Wind and solar farms have saved Irish consumers €840 million since the year 2000
According to a report published by Baringa for Wind Energy Ireland, wind and solar farms have saved Irish consumers a total of €840 million since 2000. The report suggests that a further €610 million could be saved yearly on electricity bills if the Climate Action Plan 2024 target of 80% renewable energy is met by 2030.
The report states that Ireland’s renewable energy developments helped to insulate Irish consumers from rising fuel costs and reduced the cost of electricity by €320 per person between 2020 and 2023. Furthermore, Irish renewable energy has helped to keep 3 million tonnes of coal in the ground and has prevented over 47 million tonnes of CO2 from being emitted between 2000 and 2023. Continued investment in renewable energy can further reduce Ireland’s reliance on fossil fuels and cut our carbon emissions.
Local area plans and county development plan news
Draft Gort Local Area Plan 2025-2031: 9th January – 20th February 2025
Proposed Material Alterations to the Draft Longford Town Local Area Plan 2025-2031: 4th February – 5th March 2025
Draft Kiltiernan-Glenamuck Local Area Plan: 6th February – 21st March 2025
Proposed Material Alterations to Proposed Variation (No. 1): Kilcullen Settlement Plan of the Kildare County Development Plan 2023 – 2029: 7th February - 10th March 2025
Proposed Variation No. 4 to Kilkenny City and County Development Plan 2021 – 2027: 6th February - 7th March 2025