Kildare South TD and Minister of State Martin Heydon has said the new Ready to Build scheme will provide further housing options for people in Kildare who wish to build their own home.
The scheme, which was launched recently, will support an additional 2,000 new-build homes to be delivered by 2025.
“This is a really positive new scheme which will see fully serviced sites made available for purchase by Kildare Co Council at a discount to those who wish to build their own home,” Minister Heydon explained, adding that this new scheme is in line with the Fine Gael priority of “supporting home ownership and providing options to those in Kildare who wish to settle down within their local communities.”
The Ready to Build Scheme is aimed at the 500 towns in Ireland that have a population of 400 or more. Applicants can be first-time buyers or individuals selling their home as they want to relocate to a town or village in Kildare.
The scheme must be used to build an applicant’s principal private residence and is not open to builders or developers.
Minister Heydon said that Housing for All (the government’s housing plan to 2030) commits to providing social, affordable and cost rental housing as well as supporting the right of rural dwellers to build a home close to their family, place of work or agri-business.
“This scheme supports that right by funding our local authorities to make sites available in towns and villages with the necessary electricity, water and wastewater and sell them to individuals and families at a discount. The sites will be sold at a discounted rate of up to €30,000 from the market value. The discount will be determined by the cost of servicing the site,” he said.
“The Ready to Build Scheme also supports our Town Centre First policy which aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into our town centres in Kildare. I know from talking to constituents that there is a real desire from many in rural areas in Kildare to build their own home in their local areas, and the Ready to Build scheme can provide an opportunity to do just that.”
Applicants must apply for planning permission within three months of buying the site and building must commence within 12 months of receipt of planning permission. All available sites will be advertised on the local authority website and on relevant local publications.
“We have seen that the number of commencement notices are up, planning permissions are up, there are diggers on sites across the country as we continue to see strong recovery in the construction industry,” Minister Heydon added. “The Ready to Build scheme will build on this progress and will be another avenue to increase the number of new homes being built for the many individuals, couples and families in Kildare who are seeking a permanent home.”
