The difficult choices that could dramatically increase housing supply in Dublin

Plus, why Ireland is trending to fall far below its 2030 climate targets

Listen | 43:38
Mark Fitzgerald contends that restrictive geography and the lack of imagination around land use and zoning are some of the key contributors to the challenging housing situation in the capital. Photograph Nick Bradshaw for The Irish Times
Mark Fitzgerald contends that restrictive geography and the lack of imagination around land use and zoning are some of the key contributors to the challenging housing situation in the capital. Photograph Nick Bradshaw for The Irish Times

First up on this week’s Inside Business is Ireland’s housing crisis and where it is felt most – Dublin city.

Mark Fitzgerald is chairman of the Fine Gael Commission for renewal and a non-executive director of Sherry FitzGerald Group. He joined host Cliff Taylor in studio to discuss a recent piece he wrote for the Irish Times where he highlights restrictive geography and the lack of imagination around land use and zoning as some of the key contributors to the challenging housing situation in the capital.

But what decisions led to the current scarcity of supply and what choices could be made to meet demand for future generations in the capital?

Also on this episode, the latest report from the Economic and Social Research Institute suggests Ireland is trending to fall far below the 2030 targets as set out in the Climate Action Plan.

Focusing on decarbonising Irish households, the report highlights the slow uptake in retrofitting and the installation of heat pumps. The report also points out some of the barriers preventing homeowners from taking such measures.

Muireann Lynch is a Senior Research Officer with the ESRI and co-authored the report. She joined Cliff on the line to go through the report’s key points.

Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.

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