Agenda and draft minutes

Agreed : Minutes Agreed

The Chairperson congratulated Sinéad Gaughran (researcher from Dublin
City Council) on her achievement of winning the Simon Brooke award with
Cluid Housing on the subject of Cost Rental
The following considerations were raised;
· Housing Symposium updated provided – meeting on Thursday 25th
February shall include topics such as finance, worked example
(Emmet Rd), Dublin city Council Perspective, cost of apartments,
European perspective. A breakdown of how the meeting will operate
was also provided.
· Land Development Agency (LDA) Bill concerns were received by the
Chair regarding the role of Councillors on the disposal of land and
tenure mix. The Chair indicated that the DCC Law Agent had agreed
to provide Cllrs with a briefing on the Bill – the Chair would circulate
details
· A request to convene special meeting of the Council to discuss LDA
Bill & Affordable Housing Bill.

No Correspondence received

No correspondence received.

Oscar Traynor Rd Alternative Plan Report

Chairperson introduced report and provided a synopsis of report.
The following considerations were raised;

· Responding to local social
housing & community needs/
Area B housing list analysis/
potential for work hubs to be
included in new design
· Tenure mix proposed
· Funding & financial viability
considerations
· Increase Service Site Fund –
50k to 100k
· Request Dept. of Housing Local
Government & Heritage to pay
for amenities
· Cost certainty Vs Value &
affordability
· DCC financial risk considerations
· Communication with Minister for
Housing
· Dublin City Council (DCC)
project lead
· Legislative considerations with
regard to DCC having 1st refusal
on affordable purchase sell back
· Site Inflation
· Private developer Vs private
contractor differences
· Unit quantity & cost
· Infrastructure
· Planning & design
considerations
· Local consultation
· Use of DCC framework
· Traffic implications
· Public procurement procedure
· Risk management
considerations
· Underpinning principles
· Adherence with relevant
legislation
· Density considerations
· Approved Housing Body (AHB)
partnership
· Consistent with Development
Plan & national guidelines
· Older persons & special needs
considerations
· Phased construction
development
· Potential for provision of social
clauses

A vote was taken to submit report to next Council meeting if protocol allowed. The
outcome of the vote was;

Agreed: Point 2ii to follow point 3 on the agenda

Agreed: Report as presented agreed and to be submitted at the next Council
meeting for debate

Agreed: DCC Management provided a verbal response to the alternative proposal
and agreed to circulate a written response to the members.

Verbal Update

Rent Review Working Group – March meeting update to discuss how the
recommendations are being implemented & a progress report shall follow.

Agreed: Update noted

Verbal Update

Public Housing Working Group –Anti-Social Policy drafted. Next meeting scheduled
for Friday March 5th to examine the draft policy.

Agreed: Update noted

Verbal Update

Services for Senior Citizens Working Group – Cllr. Mary Freehill brought members
up-to-date about meetings with different departments and a proposed policy
document Funding is an issue for services for older people.

Agreed: Update noted

Mark Bourke Chief Quantity Surveyor gave a presentation to members on Dublin City
Council cost considerations. In particular building at higher standards to support
longevity of stock, to reduce maintenance costs, to reduce tenant spend on energy
costs and to provide for a high standard of home living.

Points raised during presentation included;
· Apartment typologies more
costly than houses
· Impact on cost of DCC
higher specifications
· Cost impact of the number
of units per core apartment
block
· Open space/community
amenity
· Volumetric/MMC
· Research/Analysis/
Benchmarking taking place
· Procurement
process/Framework
· Contract setup
· Contractor availability
· Strategic procurement,
collaboration and early
engagement
· Development methodology
considerations including
bundling and smaller lots
· Complications that can
arise and impact on cost
· Holistic and environmental
cost considerations
· Value for Money (VFM) &
minimising risk
· Supply chain
considerations

Members thanked Mark for presentation.

Agreed: Presentation noted

Verbal Update

Potential EU Funding Opportunities Housing and Community

The following considerations were raised;

· 4 Concept areas – URDF round 2 funding
· 6 Key Pillars – Green Transition, Digital Transformation, Smart Sustainable &
Inclusive Growth, Social Cohesion, Health Economic & Social Resilience & Policies
for the New Generation
· National recovery & resilience facility – Post Covid EU fund
· DCC 4 key senior housing managers covering - Regeneration, Energy Improvement, Social Inclusion/Community Facilities & Public Domain.

Agreed: Update Noted

Verbal Update

Lord Mayor Hazel Chu updated members in relation to progress to date which
included dialogue with Minister for Housing and requested actions with regard to:

· Wrap Around Services
· Outreach teams
· Feedback

Agreed: Update Noted

Agreed: Lord Mayor to circulate information to members

Agreed: Point 6 and point 8 discussed simultaneously

That the Housing SPC shall write to the Minister for Housing;

·         asking him to deliver on his commitment made in the Irish Examiner on the 25th of January 2021 to honour Dublin City Council’s request of an increase of the Serviced Sites Fund from €50,000.00 to €100,000.00 per unit;

·         requesting him to implement the recommendations of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland to undertake a Public building cost review and introduce a standardised construction cost reporting process; and

calling on him to establish the Commission on Housing to help drive down construction costs and increase affordability

Motion in the names of Cllrs James Geoghegan & Colm O’Rourke
That the Housing SPC will write to the Minister for Housing;
·asking him to deliver on his commitment made in the Irish Examiner on the
25th of January 2021 to honour Dublin City Council’s request of an increase
of the Serviced Sites Fund from €50,000.00 to €100,000.00 per unit;
·requesting him to implement the recommendations of the Society of Chartered
Surveyors Ireland to undertake a Public building cost review and introduce a
standardised construction cost reporting process; and
·calling on him to establish the Commission on Housing to help drive down
construction costs and increase affordability.

Agreed: Motion agreed without debate

The Housing SPC recognises the progressive work carried out by the Lord Mayor's Taskforce on Homeless and the recommendations it has presented. To build on the work of the Taskforce, the Housing SPC recommends that a Special Committee on Homeless be established as a sub-committee of the Housing SPC to 

·  support and provide information, views, advice or reports to the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive (DRHE) in relation to homelessness and the operation and implementation of the Homeless Action Plan in Dublin and specifically to Dublin City.

·  study, analyse, and make recommendations to any DRAFT Homelessness action Plan prepared by the DRHE.

·  serve as a forum for consultation and sharing of information and data from the DRHE

·  review progress on the Homeless Action Plan and support the DRHE in addressing any barriers to implementation of the plan, whilst having regard to the statutory obligations of the DRHE and its statutory management group.

·  work with the DRHE in pursuing actions where necessary from relevant Government departments and in pursuing a whole of Government approval to the often complex needs of homeless persons.

·  engage regularly with the various other statutory and non-statutory bodies that are involved in different aspects of homelessness in Dublin.

·  invite the Approved Bodies to present and take questions at meetings of this special committee

·  develop strong working relationships with Councillors and the Executives of the other three Dublin Local Authorities.

The Housing SPC agrees that this sub-committee should consist of the Lord Mayor, the Chairperson of the Housing SPC and a representative from each political party/grouping, that management of the DRHE including the Director and other senior staff will report into this special committee and will attend all meetings, that meetings be held in camera unless otherwise agreed by the Committee and that the Committee report to the Housing SPC on a bi-monthly basis. 

Motion in the names of Lord Mayor Hazel Chu & Cllr Alison
Gilliland Cllr Janet Horner, Cllr. James Geoghegan, Cllr Daithi
Doolan, Cllr Tina MacVeigh and Cllr Kevin Donoghue
The Housing SPC recognises the progressive work carried out by the Lord Mayor's Taskforce on
Homeless and the recommendations it has presented. To build on the work of the Taskforce, the
Housing SPC recommends that a Special Committee on Homeless be established as a sub-committee
of the Housing SPC to
·support and provide information, views, advice or reports to the Dublin Regional
Homeless Executive (DRHE) in relation to homelessness and the operation and
implementation of the Homeless Action Plan in Dublin and specifically to Dublin
City.
·study, analyse, and make recommendations to any DRAFT Homelessness action Plan
prepared by the DRHE.
·serve as a forum for consultation and sharing of information and data from the DRHE
·review progress on the Homeless Action Plan and support the DRHE in addressing any
barriers to implementation of the plan, whilst having regard to the statutory obligations of
the DRHE and its statutory management group.
·work with the DRHE in pursuing actions where necessary from relevant Government
departments and in pursuing a whole of Government approval to the often complex needs
of homeless persons.
·engage regularly with the various other statutory and non-statutory bodies that are involved
in different aspects of homelessness in Dublin.
·invite the Approved Bodies to present and take questions at meetings of this special
committee
·develop strong working relationships with Councillors and the Executives of the other three
Dublin Local Authorities.
The Housing SPC agrees that this sub-committee should consist of the Lord Mayor, the Chairperson of
the Housing SPC and a representative from each political party/grouping, that management of the
DRHE including the Director and other senior staff will report into this special committee and
will attend all meetings, that meetings be held in camera unless otherwise agreed by the
Committee and that the Committee report to the Housing SPC on a bi-monthly basis.

Agreed: Motion agreed

No business conducted

Cllr. Alison Gilliland
CHAIRPERSON