Focus Ireland calls for 'social dividend' from Nama lands

THE NATIONAL Asset Management Agency (Nama) should draw up a land and housing strategy, aimed at ensuring a “social dividend” is achieved from the Government’s rescue plan for the banks.

That is the opinion of Focus Ireland which yesterday said some of the empty apartments and houses which come into State ownership through Nama could be used to provide housing for the 60,000 households identified as in need of a home in a 2008 study.

Focus Ireland also said a Nama land and housing strategy could prevent dereliction and would “provide homes of the right type, in the right locations, that are integrated with other infrastructure and services”, and built in accordance with county and city development plans.

Agency chief executive Joyce Loughnan said Nama was in a key position to undertake such a strategy, the aim of which would be to ensure that residential property or land that becomes the legal property of Nama could be put to social use.

“In order to meet the State’s growing housing need it is essential that we supply sufficient housing,” she said.

“Legislation must ensure that lands zoned and serviced for housing purposes are used in a timely fashion . . . and any developments must be in accordance with city and county development plans,” she said.

She added the strategy “would specify core actions required for the disposal of property and prevention of dereliction”.

Those responsible for devising and developing the strategy should be based in the Department of Environment and the objective of generating a “social dividend” must be explicitly stated in legislation.

Ms Loughnan said the process would also provide an opportunity to make empty homes available to people who need them. It would also assemble land for future housing which would allow for planned development.

“This process must also involve a strategic acquisitions programme which would support social housing providers to have first call on housing assets and suitable sites that are fit for purpose at written-down value,” she said.