Savills Ireland has warned that Housing Minister James Browne’s letter to local authorities needed to have clear deadlines.

It was reported that Minister Browne has written to all chiefs of city and county councils, as well as An Bord Pleanála, in an urgent bid for assistance to tackle the housing crisis.

The minister said he wants help with the establishment of the ­Housing Activation Office and discussed the Revised National Planning Framework (NPF).

The new policy will underline revised housing targets and allow local authorities to reopen their local development plans and rezone hundreds of hectares of land for homes.

Minister Browne has claimed a revised NPF "provides the conditions we need to have in place to accelerate homebuilding.”

But he has also warned councils must expand the amount of land available for housing “by the end of the year” in order for housing targets of an average of 50,500 per year to be reached. 

However, Savills has insisted "clear timelines are essential for practical effectiveness."

John Swarbrigg, Director of Development Land at Savills Ireland, said: “The Government’s initiative in addressing housing challenges is commendable; however, the Minister’s communication lacks explicit reference to Sections 28 and 29 of the Planning and Development Act.

"These sections provide vital legal mechanisms, enabling the Minister to issue mandatory planning policy guidance (Section 28) and intervene where necessary to ensure local authorities adhere to national policies (Section 29).

"Explicitly referencing these provisions would demonstrate the seriousness of aligning local efforts with national planning objectives.”

He added: “Without specific deadlines for local authorities to update their development plans, there is a risk of continued delays.

"Clear timelines are essential to ensuring the prompt and coordinated delivery of urgently needed housing.”

Meanwhile, Minister Browne has said the Government's own target of 41,000 new homes this year is now "very, very difficult" and will be "an extreme climb to reach".

Speaking last month, he said that most of the organisations that look at these figures are "predicting around 33,000-34,000 at this point, and they seem to be very consistent around that".

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