Labour slams slowdown in homebuilding
Labour slams slowdown in homebuilding - The Labour Party
Labour’s Housing Spokesperson, Conor Sheehan TD, has hit out at the Government after new data shows the level of home building slipped for the second month in a row in June. The figures highlight worsening conditions in the construction sector, coming just weeks after Minister James Browne admitted it would be “very challenging” to meet housing targets for 2025. Labour is calling for an urgent shift in policy direction to restore momentum to housing delivery.
Deputy Sheehan said:
“The June figures are yet another red flag. There’s an overwhelming sense of ‘wait and see’ among developers, driven by uncertainty around tax policy, planning rules and the revised National Planning Framework. This is not how we deliver homes.
“We are over halfway through the year, and the Government is already conceding that it won’t meet its targets. That should ring alarm bells for every family waiting on a home, for every young person priced out of renting or buying. AIB’s report notes that companies remain broadly optimistic for the year ahead, but that optimism won’t deliver housing unless the Government creates the conditions for builders to build.
“It’s not enough to rely on private developers who are pausing projects while waiting for more tax breaks or planning clarity. Labour has proposed realistic, costed alternatives. We would expand the remit of the Land Development Agency to deliver homes directly. We would introduce ‘use it or lose it’ clauses for planning permissions to prevent speculative land-hoarding. And we would redirect money from the Strategic Investment Fund into low-risk, socially vital homebuilding here in Ireland.
“The reality is we need at least 300,000 homes. That level of demand is not just a crisis, it’s a clear investment case. The State must step up, lead from the front, and build at scale.
“The Government must end the policy drift and deliver the homes our people need. We’re calling for immediate action to refocus on delivery, fast-track public homebuilding, and put housing at the heart of Budget 2026.”