The Minister for Housing Darragh O'Brien has refused to disclose how much buyers will have to pay for social and affordable homes at O’Devaney Gardens, as the next phase of building gets under way.
As part of phase two, more than 1,047 homes will be built on the Dublin site, with around 80 per cent of them social and affordable properties.
Mr O’Brien and Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe said that details of the affordable housing scheme will be confirmed once negotiations between Dublin City Council and the developers are complete.
Mr O’Brien visited O’Devaney Gardens on Friday, where 56 social homes are due to be completed by the end of the year.
The Fianna Fail Minister said the next stage of development at the Dublin site is “really important”.
“About 80 per cent of those homes at least are going to be social and affordable,” he added.
“We’ve committed as a government to 135 million to that space and through that work we want to see that on site this year.
“We’re selling affordable homes as a state from €166,000 up. People will be buying affordable homes in Cork and Dublin.
“We’re going to have hundreds more of them this year and thousands more into next year.
“For me, it’s really about getting on with the work and getting the supply up.
“But let’s be very clear there have been people on other sides of the political divide, who have opposed this scheme right the way through, who voted against it and objected at council level.
“What they’re doing is, they’re stopping 56 families from getting their homes for life.”
Mr Donohoe added: “We will be able to confirm the details of what the affordable housing schemes will be when the negotiations in relation to the city council and others are complete.
“That information will be made available as soon as possible.
“But we are here committing to a project in which 80 per cent of the homes will be social and affordable.”
Mr O’Brien said the 56 social homes designed by architects at Dublin City Council are part of the thousands of other homes being built across the country.
“We’re targeting 9,000 new build social homes this year, and we’re projecting to attain that,” he added.
“That will be the single biggest amount of social homes new-builds delivered in any year in the history of the state. So it’s wonderful to be here.
“We will have a further phase, which is over 1,047 homes, about 80 per cent of them social and affordable in the next phase.
“We’re going to see more social, more affordable homes here.”
Mr Donohoe said: “We are going to see families who will be turning these properties into their homes later on in the year.
“But then after that, great work is on the way to deliver 1,000 more homes on this site.
“This is the sign of the work that is under way across the length and breadth of the country.”
