SCSI calls for ‘long-term’ budget planning to drive down housing costs
11 September 2023
The Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) has called for “long-term planning” in Government budgets to drive down the cost of new housing, warning that increased construction costs are leading to many projects being paused or cancelled as they are “no longer financially viable”. Launching its pre-budget submission on Friday, the SCSI said that the viability gap that exists between the construction cost and the market price for new home buyers is at “unsustainable levels in many parts of the country”. The society has called on the Government to adopt longer-term plans across several budgets to drive down construction costs. Kevin Hollingsworth, vice-president of the SCSI, said that the society wants to see “soft costs” such as development levies, high road closure fees, local authority licence fees and other duties tackled.
