Some councils will need to triple their current housing targets in less than a decade, new Department of Housing plans have shown, writes Jamie McCarron.

Wexford and Wicklow will see the biggest increases in their housing targets, with home completion figures set to be almost tripled in less than a decade.

Wexford’s current target of 578 will rise to 1,622 by 2034 while Wicklow’s annual target of 745 homes will increase to 2,068.

Both counties have already been achieving well over the current goals, with just over 1,000 homes each completed in 2024, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

Meath will see its target close to tripling from 1,090 to 2,942, and Mayo is expected to more than double its annual target, from 501 to 1,111.

Mayo is only just meeting targets, with 576 new homes completed last year, while Meath is well ahead, with 1,624 homes completed in 2024 and 482 finished between April and June this year.

Galway city was given the lowest target rise at just 4.77% by 2034 – up from 754 homes per year to 790.

When accounting for the city’s small area for new housing compared to other local authorities, it was Galway County Council that had the least ambitious housing target, with a rise of just 9.6% set out.

Minister for Housing James Browne announced new targets yesterday, which aim to increase the number of houses built each year across the country from 33,000 to an average of 55,000 by 2034, in line with the revised National Planning Framework (NPF).

As well as increasing the number of homes built, councils will be also asked to collectively zone enough land for an additional 50% of the target, or a total of 83,000 new homes per year.

The Department of Housing’s guidelines acknowledge that “a relatively significant proportion of zoned lands are not activated over the period of a development plan” and that land in desirable areas should be residentially zoned for future development.

The department noted that targets are based on Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) modelling of population growth and structural housing demand and will be updated again before 2030.

The guidelines also aim to reflect the current unmet demand.

Minister Browne said yesterday: “In recognising the importance of having a sufficient amount of zoned land, I have made available an additional 50% headroom for local authorities above the base requirement of 55,000, enabling zoning for a total of 83,000 units per annum.

“It is imperative that local authorities now commence the process of revising their individual development plans as quickly as possible to ensure that sufficient zoned and serviced land is available for housing development.”

He added: “This will enable the full integration of the updated housing growth requirements into city and county development plans.”