An exclusive selfbuild.ie survey reveals painfully slow progress on the government’s goal of 2,000 serviced sites by 2025, as only 30 sites have been made available and been identified as suitable for sale.
In this article we cover:
- The government’s target for serviced sites
- Findings from selfbuild.ie’s nationwide survey of local authorities
- The number of sites currently available and where they are located
- Challenges facing the scheme, including land shortages and delays
- Responses from the Department of Housing and local councils
- What’s next for the Ready to Build Scheme
Just 21 fully serviced sites are currently available to self-builders looking to build their own homes in ROI through the government’s Ready to Build Scheme. To date, only nine have been sold.
Under the scheme, launched in 2022 under the Croí Cónaithe (Towns) fund, local authorities directly sell sites to self-builders at a discounted price and also provide services such as water, wastewater, electricity and access to the sites. All local authorities in Ireland are administering the scheme.
The government’s Ready to Build Scheme was designed to provide 2,000 serviced sites for self-builders in regional towns and villages by 2025.
The Programme for Government 2025 reaffirmed this goal, stating that each local authority would be required to deliver serviced sites for 3 to 10 housing units in at least three locations every year. Based on these projections, the initiative was expected to create between 279 and 930 serviced sites annually.
Yet, an informal nationwide survey of local authorities carried out by SelfBuild.ie paints a bleak picture. Only 9 out of the 31 councils responded when asked how many serviced sites they currently have available, with those who did respond reporting only a handful of sites in place.
Patchy progress across counties
Despite the ambitious targets, many councils are still in the early planning stages or struggling to secure land. Several local authorities have yet to make any serviced sites available under the scheme:
Clare, Kilkenny, Meath and Waterford confirmed they have not sold or made any serviced sites available. However, they are taking steps to progress the scheme forward, carrying out site feasibility studies.
Kildare County Council has seven sites in Clogherinkoe village, priced at €45,000 each.
Tipperary County Council has three fully serviced sites in Boherlahan village, available for €25,000 each.
Wicklow County Council has five sites in Kilcommon, priced between €35,000 and €50,000, but further expansion remains uncertain.
Laois County Council has been the most proactive, selling eight sites in 2024 and planning to release six more this year, while evaluating additional locations.
According to the Department of Housing, a further 140+ sites are at various stages of consideration by the relevant local authorities and the Department is “working with those local authorities to progress the sites”.
Why so few sites?
A key issue blocking progress is the lack of available land banks. Meath County Council, for instance, stated that the scheme remains in its early stages due to land shortages. Similarly, other counties are still reviewing potential sites but have yet to make concrete headway.
The new Housing Minister Browne told Selfbuild that the scheme still played a central part in the government’s “drive to tackle vacancy and dereliction in towns and villages around the country”, stating: “my Department will continue to work with local authorities to progress suitable sites”.
Adding: “By providing alternative choices for people to live in our towns and villages we are supporting the growth and development of these places – strengthening Ireland’s rural urban fabric, and supporting the communities who live there.”
