Seán Canney TD, Minister of State for International and Road Transport, Logistics, Rail and Ports and Leader in Cabinet of the Independent Ministers, has welcomed the announcement by Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne, of major reforms to streamline approvals and improve delivery timelines for social housing projects.
Minister Canney welcomes major reforms to cut delays and accelerate delivery of social housing
- Angelina Nugent
Under the new measures, from January 2026 all new-build social housing projects up to €200 million will move to a single approval process, replacing the current multi-stage system. The reforms will also introduce a standardised design and specification approach across projects, supporting efficiency, consistency and greater use of modern methods of construction.
Minister Canney said the changes represent a significant and practical step towards getting social homes built more quickly.
“Delays in approvals have been a real barrier to delivering social housing at pace. Moving to a single, streamlined approval process will cut unnecessary bureaucracy and provide much greater certainty for local authorities and approved housing bodies,” Minister Canney said.
“The introduction of standardised designs and specifications is particularly welcome. It will reduce duplication, speed up delivery on the ground and ensure better value for money, while maintaining high standards in the homes being built.”
Minister Canney said the reforms would be especially important in supporting local authorities to scale up their own-build social housing programmes.
“With housing need remaining acute, we need systems that are designed for delivery, not delay. These reforms will help local authorities move from proposal to construction more quickly and increase the number of social homes coming on stream each year.”