Housing reforms to try speed up social housing deliver in Louth announced

Minister for Housing, James Browne has announced new reforms to the approval process for new-build social housing aimed at speeding up delivery in Louth. 

Minister Browne announced there will now be a single approval process for all new-build proposals for social housing projects up to €200 million. 

The announcement marks a shift away from the current 4-stage approval process which the minister said was causing unnecessary delays. 

Minister Browne confirmed that between 2022 and September 2025 there have been 1,130 new-build social homes delivered in Louth.

Louth County Council surpassed its social housing delivery target for 2022–2024, completing 1,030 new homes, which was 6% above the assigned target of 976 units. This strong performance placed Louth eighth among the 31 local authorities nationwide.

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However, figures from the Department of Housing show that there just 100 new units built since then up to the end of Q3 of 2025. 

Minister Browne said he expects to see a "marked increase in own‑build social housing delivery from local authorities in particular."

“This is a matter of urgent importance, and we must keep driving momentum to ensure families and individuals in Louth get the homes they need,” the minister said. 

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.