The Cabinet has signed off on additional funding of nearly €700 million this year to fund more social and affordable housing.
It brings the overall allocation to the Department of Housing for 2025 to over €1.4 billion and is separate to the €40 billion announced as part of the National Development Plan next week.
Some of the additional money will also go to fund second hand acquisitions and the tenant in situ scheme, as well as to tackle vacancy and dereliction.
A full breakdown of allocations to local authorities will be published next week.
Minister for Housing James Browne said the funding would provide for 4,000 new builds in the coming years, and another 600 from vacancy, dereliction and second hand acquisitions.
The Cabinet also agreed another housing measure to increase the zoning target for local authorities to 83,000 units per year up to 2034. This is up over 50% on the current target of 55,000.
Mr Browne said that he will be writing to local authorities in the coming weeks to increase the amount of land to be zoned across the country and added that he wanted local authorities to "move quickly" to get the land rezoned.
"They can do that in about 12 to 14 weeks if they really move quickly, and I expect their councillors and people within those local authorities to demand their local authorities move as quickly as possible.”
In addition, a public consultation will begin today on the proposal to remove the requirement for cabins or garden homes up to a size of 45sqm.
This is larger than the original suggested upper limit of 40sqm
The plan is being brought forward by the Minister of State for Planning John Cummins along with Minister Browne.
The unit must comply with building regulations, while the size of the residual private garden space of 25sqm must be retained and set back from boundary walls.
Under current rules, an extension to the rear of a property is exempt from planning once it is 40sqm and is attached to the property.
Deputy Cummins has said the plan is a practical and common sense move which will provide housing options for people such as those with a disability or young persons who wish to live independently of the family home in the short-term.
It will also give the option for parents who wish to right-size within their own community while maintaining the support of their family. The public consultation will last for four weeks.
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