Staff shortage causing delays to Kildare social housing projects
The Department of Housing approved just half of housing officers requested by Kildare County Council
Kildare County Council currently has 116 social housing units in construction in three locations — Athgarvan, Kill and Maynooth — and a further 243 units at various stages of the approval process.
However, this is unlikely to proceed with any great pace, after it was also revealed that the council was only given the go-ahead to employ half of the 26 housing officers it sought to expedite this matter.
This was revealed following a motion raised by cllr Angela Feeney at the recent September meeting of the full Council.
She had asked that the Council update the elected members “about social housing development proposals currently in process with the Department of Housing”.
“What stage are these proposals are at in the current four-stage approval process, and what is the length of time for social housing applications to progress from submission to approval by the Department of Housing based on current conditions?” she asked.
For those not au fait with council policy, the four-stage process is the most common method of building social housing.
“The four-stage process incorporates the local authority initiating initial design, statutory approval, detailed design and tender,” explained acting director of housing Siobhan Scully.
“Under this process, the budget costs at Stage 1 are generally high, but at each stage, the budget is revised as the project develops,” she said.
“Approval at each stage constitutes approval to proceed to the next, and not overall project approval.
"Delaying factors include retention and recruitment of technical staff, and an adequacy of staff resources."
“The council sought sanction for 26 additional staff to deliver ‘Housing for All’ capital delivery targets, however approval was received for 13 staff,” she revealed.
Site-specific complexity can also include awaiting the provision of infrastructure, like sewerage, lighting, roads.
Other issues can involve invasive species, legal issues, service mapping and delay in statutory approvals and brownfield sites.
Ms Scully then revealed that in 2016 the Department of Housing introduced a single stage approval process, which though welcomed by the council, has not been without its hitches.
“This process was revised in 2020 and 2023 and applies to social housing construction projects of 25 units or less with a value €8m or less,” she explained.
“Kildare County Council is using this process for just six construction projects at present,” she revealed.
“Because the projects suitable for single stage approval need to be non-complicated with no known site challenges, many of the schemes developed by (the council) do not allow for the single stage process".
