Latest news with #HousingDepartment
The Irish Sun
21 hours ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
‘Not realistic for this year', Housing Minister says as Government unlikely to meet target of 41,000 new homes
THE target of building 41,000 new homes this year is 'not realistic', Housing Minister James Browne has admitted. He conceded meeting the aim would be 'extremely challenging' — with around 2 James Browne stated it is unlikely'the target for new builds this year will be met But Minister Browne insisted he was committed to enacting a 'step change' in the Housing Department and will clear 'the dead wood out of the way so that homes can get delivered'. Quizzed on this year's target, he told Newstalk: 'I think the challenge we have this year is we're coming off a much lower base from last year than was expected. 'We had hoped for much higher figures last year. I think, looking at all of the different predictions, which are fairly consistent, I think 41,000 is not realistic for this year.' He added: 'My position as Minister is to maximise supply, maximise the delivery of new READ MORE ON HOUSING CRISIS 'Because we need to get from 30,000 onto 50,000, onto 60,000 houses — 40,000 houses is nowhere near enough.' The Meanwhile, total investment of €122billion is needed by 2030 if This includes €16.4billion this year, rising to €24.1billion by 2030 to hit 60,000 gaffs a year. Most read in Money Earlier this week, it emerged that the Minister Martin Heydon brought forward the first report from the Government's Timber in Construction Steering Group which calls on the State to use wood more when Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald slams Government over housing crisis Forestry Minister Micheal Healy-Rae has worked with the steering group on the report which notes that Ireland has excellent forest resources that are being underused in our construction sector. The steering group believes that our forests have the capacity to supply the timber needed to build 'INDIGENOUS RESOURCE' A new 'Wood first' procurement policy will be launched on the back of the report which will see State bodies ensure that timber is the "material of choice" in the construction of public buildings including schools, libraries and housing. Forestry Minister Micheal Healy-Rae told the Irish Sun: 'If we are trying to build twenty or thirty or sixty thousand houses – every one of those will need a roof and the most environmentally friendly way you can build a roof is not with steel or anything else – it is wood. 'Again with all the partitions in houses you have people who will want to use steel fixing or concrete but at the end of the day I am encouraging people to use wood instead. 'Timber framed houses made in a factory were very big during the Boomy Boom and people will tell you to use others instead like concrete but I think we should be promoting timber. 'We can grow it ourselves. It's our own indigenous resource. It is renewable. 'You plant it and it grows here, you cut it down and use it and you plant it again and it creates work locally.' 2 The new prediction estimates that 32,500 houses will be built by the end of 2025 Credit: � 2025 PA Media, All Rights Reserved
Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Karnataka hikes minority quota for housing schemes by 5%, BJP slams move
The Karnataka Cabinet Thursday decided to increase the reservation for minorities under various housing schemes in the state from 10% to 15%, a move the Opposition called 'unconstitutional' and alleged that the Congress government was making a 'dangerous attempt to institutionalise communal vote-bank politics'. Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil told reporters after the Cabinet meeting that the proposal of the Housing Department seeking to increase reservation for minority communities in housing schemes by 5% has been cleared. He said that this will be applicable for general housing schemes implemented in urban and rural areas, but not for housing schemes exclusively for the SC/ST communities. Responding to queries on the reasons behind enhancing the reservation, he said that the government 'considered the fact that many people from minority communities did not have homes'. The Central government too has issued directions to that effect, Patil said, adding that the hike would benefit members of Muslim, Christian and Jain communities in the state. Criticising the decision, the BJP accused the CM Siddaramaiah-led Congress government of converting 'welfare into a marketplace for vote-bank politics'. In a post on X, BJP's Karnataka chief B Y Vijayendra said it was a 'dangerous attempt to institutionalize communal vote-bank politics. It not only robs SCs, STs, and OBCs of their rightful opportunities, but also sends a disturbing message that merit, backwardness, and constitutional principles are secondary to religious appeasement'. In a post on X, BJP's IT department head Amit Malviya said, 'This is brazen. Blatantly illegal and unconstitutional. There can be no reservation on the basis of religion. The Constitution is unambiguous on this.' 'This isn't governance, it's dangerous social engineering. Congress is determined to sow the seeds of division, polarise communities, and rip apart the social fabric of Karnataka — all for short-term political gain,' Malviya said. Union Minister Pralhad Joshi told reporters that the decision was 'unconstitutional' as it 'violated Supreme Court guidelines that reservation cannot be provided on the basis of religion'. Defending the decision, Deputy CM D K Shivakumar said that a lot of flats built by the Housing Department in urban areas remain unoccupied. 'The minorities have shown interest in moving in to those flats. Hence, we are increasing their quota in urban housing from 10% to 15%,' he said. On BJP's attacking the government's decision, he said, '… we are only helping the poor. What should the government do when no one is applying for these flats?' he said.
Express Tribune
5 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Water, sanitation network expanded to 10 cities
In a move to improve clean drinking water and sewerage services across Punjab, the Housing Department has approved the establishment of 10 new Water and Sanitation Agencies (WASAs) in various cities. These include Hafizabad, Jhang, Sialkot, Jhelum, Rahim Yar Khan, Sahiwal, Okara, Bahawalpur, Sargodha and Dera Ghazi Khan. The relevant authorities have been instructed to appoint managing directors for the newly proposed agencies. The announcement came during an emergency visit by Punjab Secretary for Housing, Urban Development & Public Health Engineering Noorul Amin Mengal to the WASA headquarters in Faisalabad. He chaired a high-level meeting attended by FDA Director General Muhammad Asif Chaudhry, WASA Managing Director Aamir Aziz, DG PHA Dilawar Khan, and other officials, where an extensive review of ongoing development schemes, sewerage improvements, and clean water supply projects was conducted. Mengal emphasised the Punjab chief minister's personal commitment to ensuring the availability of clean drinking water and modern sewerage infrastructure for the public. He said projects worth Rs150 billion are currently being executed under WASA's supervision and assured that their progress and quality will be closely monitored by the department. To ensure transparency and high standards, Quality Assurance Committees are being formed and special monitoring cells will oversee the technical aspects of all ongoing projects. Mengal issued directives to prioritise public convenience during development work by avoiding unnecessary excavations and ensuring prompt restoration of affected areas to minimise disruption to daily life. The housing secretary made it clear that negligence, malpractice, or delays in project execution will not be tolerated and that strict departmental action will be taken against those found responsible.
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong puts construction of 8,300 homes on hold in Fanling
Hong Kong's housing authorities have suspended a key public residential development in a northern town consisting of 8,300 homes due to the suspected high costs of building the flats on deep rock strata, according to a lawmaker. The suspension of the development, including its site formation and infrastructure works, in Fanling came to light on Sunday in a document the Housing Department and the Civil Engineering and Development Department submitted to the North District Council, a day before a meeting to discuss the matter on Monday. The Fanling Area 17 site, spanning about 5.47 hectares (13.5 acres) of both government and private land, is located to the east of Ling Shan Road and Jockey Club Road, south of Ma Sik Road and west of Fan Leng Lau Road. It currently houses the Fan Garden Police Driving and Traffic Training Centre. The document did not mention the exact reasons of the suspension but said: 'To align with the government's principle of maintaining sustainable public finances, the Housing Bureau has adjusted the development plan for the Fanling Area 17 public housing project after reviewing the cost-effectiveness of public housing initiatives over the next ten years.' Authorities said they had 'more flexibility to prioritise sites that are more suitable and cost-effective for construction' with sufficient land supply for public housing in the next decade. Lawmaker Edward Lau Kwok-fan, who is a member of the Legislative Council's housing panel, said the government's decision stemmed from geotechnical studies revealing unusually deep rock strata beneath the site, leading to significantly higher foundation costs.
South China Morning Post
06-06-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Replacement of ageing bitumen-lined water pipes ‘part of Hong Kong's long-term plan'
Hong Kong authorities will replace old pipes lined with bitumen in the long run and are planning to increase cleaning efforts, an official has said, after test results confirmed the presence of the banned substance in the water supply at two public housing estates. But the government's late response failed to ease worries of residents, who said black particles were melting in the water and becoming sticky, questioning whether filters could do the job. Bitumen, which has been found in the freshwater supply at Queens Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court in Fanling, is a substance produced through the distillation of crude oil and known for its waterproofing and adhesive properties. It has been banned from use in water pipes since 2005. 'It is obvious that the black particles have decreased after the Housing Department added the filters,' Director of Water Supplies Roger Wong Yan-lok told a radio programme on Friday. Asked if the government would replace the ageing pipes, Wong said it was part of the department's long-term plan. 'We will replace the pipes in a risk-based approach in the long term,' he said, adding that 700km (435-mile) of water pipes in the city were lined with bitumen.
