The Problem

Kinvara, in County Galway, is a small coastal village, located on the southern side of Galway Bay in. It nestles in the foothills of the Burren. It is known for its music, its beauty, its festivals, and the diverse and eclectic population. According to the most recent census (Census 2016 Sapmap Area: Settlements Kinvara, no date), the population is 734. Over the last two decades, the population has increased from around 400 persons. Consequently, there has been much new housing development, but housing can be comparatively expensive. The result is that many people have difficulty finding or retaining stable, long-term housing, either to purchase or to rent. People can end up moving around a lot. Some give up and leave the area. The irony is that the things that make Kinvara attractive - its location, its artists and musicians, its sense of community - also make it unaffordable to live in as new house purchase prices are out of reach for many people, especially those who are seeking 1- or 2-bedroom accommodation.

The predominant form of new housing construction is 3- and 4-bedroom detached and semi-detached houses, more suitable for families rather than individuals or couples. Furthermore, there are very few housing units being constructed that are available for long term rental accommodation. Few apartments have been completed in the past two decades. Units available for rent are hard to find and are often of poor quality. Few are of the smaller 1- or 2-bedroom size. When rental accommodation is available, it is usually 3- to 4-bedroom houses that are either too large or too expensive for those for whom smaller units would be more affordable.

Over the five years to 2020, the average house price was over €230,000, based on data from the Property Price Register. As of writing, July 2021, new 3- and 4-bedroom semi-detached homes in Kinvara are on the market for upwards of €375,000. Although there are plans to construct a social housing development in Kinvara, to date, all the new housing and apartment construction has been undertaken by private developers for sale to private buyers.

Given its location along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way, Kinvara is attractive as a tourist destination. Although there are many short-term lettings available, these are rarely made available for longer-term leasing. If they are made available, renting during the tourism high-season if often excluded, resulting in availability for much less than a 12-month rental period.

The threat to our planet from global warning highlights the urgent need for more sustainable development, a more circular economy, and a reduction in energy usage. Providing appropriately sized, sustainable housing to 1- and 2-person households will address the demand for housing from this demographic and, by using more sustainable construction materials, methods and practices, will help to mitigate the effects of global warning through more efficient energy use. Globally, there are newer technologies and materials available for house construction and there are more efficient and effective ways to build houses than those that have traditionally used in Ireland. Most are modular, allowing expansion and contraction of living space as people’s needs change over time.

There is an urgent need to sustainably address the housing needs of those who require small, cost-effective affordable housing. It is acknowledged that the provision of the physical housing unit is just one part of the problem of providing homes for people, but it is one that is, to a large extent, controllable by the designer and constructor of the house. There is also a need to come up with creative and innovative solutions to the lack of attainable housing for certain cohorts in Kinvara and other communities, large and small, throughout County Galway. The impetus for this submission was sparked after conversations with people, in Kinvara, who have had difficulty in finding housing in the area, despite their deepening roots in the community.

In summary, many people, living in Kinvara or desiring to live in Kinvara, have difficulty in finding stable, long-term, attainable housing. Unless addressed, this may lead to a loss of culture and diversity; the irony being that that which makes Kinvara a culturally diverse and attractive community can, over time, exclude those who contribute to its cultural diversity. This phenomenon has more general implications for other communities across County Galway.

One Solution | Community-Led Housing (CLH) and Community Land Trusts (CLT)

The unique feature of Community-Led Housing is the empowerment of future residents to meaningfully participate in both the design and long-term management of their homes. In Ireland, considerable research has been conducted by SOA RESEARCH CLG (https://soa.ie/). SOA is a not-for-profit action research think tank, formed in 2017 to research and promote cooperative and collaborative approaches to housing in Ireland. SOA has studied proven and successful UK, European and North American strategies and look at how these might be adapted to Ireland and much of their work has informed this submission. They have also published a series of five handbooks, each one targeted for a specific audience: Overview, Policy, Finance, Land, and an Early-Stage Guide to developing a CLH project . These are available here: https://soa.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/roadmapping_clh_overview.pdf. Taken together, these provide a practical, workable Road Map to a viable, Community-Led Housing sector for County Galway.

A Community Land Trust (CLT) is a non-profit, democratic, community-led organisation. Its purpose is to develop and manage homes that are affordable to low and median income households, as well as other assets that contribute to thriving local communities. A CLT acts as a long-term stewards of these assets, ensuring they remain permanently affordable. This is achieved through mechanisms that ensure that any additional value generated is retained within the CLT. More information on CLTs and SOA is here: https://soa.ie/shicc/. The key proviso is that the CLT is community-led and, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, as endorsed by the EU, decisions are taken as closely as possible to the citizen, this reinforcing local democracy.

A Respectful Request

I respectfully request Galway County Council to incorporate, within the final Galway County Development Plan, 2022-2028, a policy and proposal to:

1. Actively support community-led initiatives to address challenges of affordability and cultural life in the village of Kinvara and other communities throughout County Galway.
2. Actively support a pilot project for a Community Land Trust, initially in Kinvara, to provide perpetually affordable homes to local people on specifically designated land for community-led housing. This could be on lands currently designated Residential Phase 1 (preferred) or, optionally, Residential Phase 2, Agricultural, Open Space/Recreation & Amenity, as shown on the plan, “Kinvara, Land Use Zoning Map”.

Compliance with Key Policies and Objectives of the Draft Galway County Development Plan, 2022-2028

Chapter 4: Rural Living and Development

Actively supporting CLTs and related innovative housing practices will help Galway County Council achieve its stated Strategic Aims, as outlined in Section 4.2:

4.2          Strategic Aims
Galway County Council shall ensure that developments in rural areas are provided in accordance with the following strategic aims:

• To harness a pride of place among rural communities and to assist rural communities to promote their cultural and natural resources;
• To reinforce the vitality and future of rural villages and the open countryside and to recognise the roles that they play in the wider social and economic context;
• To encourage and support the social and economic development of rural parts of the County;
• To support local rural economies and facilitate the diversification of local rural enterprises;
• To maintain and support into the future the County’s rural/coastal communities including the traditional family farm;
• To help foster ‘green growth/management practices’ (including food security, quality and diversity) in primary food production methods within the agri-food, fisheries and forestry sectors within the County;
• To support and promote the sustainable social and economic development of rural area;
• To protect and enhance the visual qualities of rural areas through the sensitive design of associated development

2.3.14: Core Strategy Policy Objectives

Actively supporting CLTs and related innovative housing practices will help Galway County Council achieve its Core Strategy Policy Objectives, as outlined in Section 2.3.14:

Galway County Council shall ensure that the future spatial development of Galway is informed by means of a plan led approach, directing residential and employment generating development to locations in accordance with national and regional policy and with environmental carrying capacity, which can support investment in public infrastructure and services and which is sensitive to the physical character of the built and natural environment. This approach is enshrined in several Core Strategy Policy Objectives as below:
Policy Objectives Overarching Core Strategy

• CS 1: Implementation: To secure the implementation of the Core Strategy and the Settlement Hierarchy in so far as practicable, by directing sustainable growth towards the designated settlement.
• CS 2: Compact Growth: To achieve compact growth through the delivery of new homes in urban areas within the existing built up footprint of settlements, by developing infill, brownfield and regeneration sites and prioritising underutilised land in preference to greenfield sites.
• CS 3: Population Growth: To support and manage the self-sufficient sustainable development of all settlements in a planned manner, with population growth and the development of economic, physical and social infrastructure.
• CS 4: Initiatives: Promote measures to reduce vacancy and the underuse of existing building stock and support initiatives that promote the reuse, refurbishment and retrofitting of existing buildings within urban centres and targeted settlements in the County.
• CS 5: Population within Tiers: It is a policy objective of the Council to support the delivery of the population projections within the different settlement tiers of the Core Strategy. Where individual settlements are not progressing to reach their population allocation at the half way point in the lifetime of the plan the population allocation maybe redistributed within the individual tier subject to servicing and the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.

2.5: Policy Objectives of the Housing Strategy

Actively supporting CLTs and related innovative housing practices will help Galway County Council achieve the Policy Objectives of the Housing Strategy, as outlined in Section 2.5:

• HS 1: Housing Requirements: It is the Councils policy objective to facilitate the housing needs of the existing and future population of County Galway through the management of housing development in the county in accordance with the Housing Need Demand Assessment, Core Strategy and Settlement Hierarchy.
• HS 2: Social and Affordable Housing: It is a policy objective of the Council to procure vacant homes to ensure their continued use for residential purposes into the future and develop housing in infill and brownfield sites within town and village centres for social and affordable housing provision.
• HS 3: Monitor Housing Strategy: It is a policy objective of the Council to monitor the effectiveness of the Housing Strategy in meeting and resolving identified housing needs.
• HS 4: Monitor Housing Need Demand Assessment: It is a policy objective of the Council to support the ongoing monitoring and review of the Housing Need Demand Assessment (HNDA) in accordance with a forthcoming HNDA methodology to be issued by Central Government.
• HS 5: Social Housing Stock: It is a policy objective of the Council to increase and effectively manage the stock of social housing within the county in order to meet the long-term housing needs of those households on the local authority housing list.

2.6: Specific Housing Need

Actively supporting CLTs and related innovative housing practices will help Galway County Council achieve the Policy Objectives of Specific Housing Need, as outlined in Section 2.6:

• SH 1: Affordable Housing: Promote the delivery of affordable housing primarily in sustainable locations in towns and villages across County Galway in the first instance in accordance with proper planning and sustainable development.
• SH 2: Homeless Housing: Facilitate the provision of suitable accommodation for the homeless and for those in need of emergency accommodation.
• SH 3: Traveller Accommodation: Support and implement the Traveller Accommodation Programme 2019 – 2024 for County Galway (or any updated/superseding document).
• SH 4: Adaptable Housing: Promote and support the development of sustainable housing for older people and those with disabilities or learning disabilities, the concept of independent living will also be promoted.

Chapter 11: Community Development and Social Infrastructure

Actively supporting CLTs and related innovative housing practices will help Galway County Council achieve its Strategic Aims, as in Chapter 11: Community Development and Social Infrastructure, 11.2 Strategic Aims:
Galway County Council shall work the appropriate stakeholders and agencies in order to endeavour to achieve an integrated and sustainable approach to the development in the County. This will with the following strategic aims:

• To promote and facilitate sustainable communities through land use planning, by supporting the provision of leisure, recreational, amenity and cultural facilities while also including our ability to access services such as education and healthcare;
• To create a more socially inclusive society by alleviating social exclusion, poverty and deprivation via the provision of good quality affordable housing, community infrastructure and improving access to information and resources throughout the County and across all communities;
• To ensure that the principles of accessible, inclusive and sustainable community development are central in all developments;
• To encourage, promote and facilitate active and inclusive participation in physical and social activities.

4.6.3      Rural Housing Development Strategy 2022-2028, Policy Objectives Rural Housing

There must be an open, objective and consistent policy to facilitate those seeking housing in rural areas and it should not apply exclusively to those seeking to build their first home, as circumstances can dictate that second or subsequent homes may be required, depending on individual circumstances. Vague terms such as “long standing”, “substantial”, “continuous part”, “immediate family connections”, “substantiated rural housing need” must be eliminated on the grounds that they discriminate against those seeking free movement within the EU.

Restrictive “enurement” conditions and clauses should be abolished to allow persons the freedom to move as circumstances dictate. “Rural links” must not be limited to those who have ties to the land or property. The “8km radius of their original family home” restriction should be abolished or replaced by a more reasonable requirement that the construction be, for example, within the same Local Electoral Area or within 25 km radius.

Off-grid housing, where water supply, wastewater treatment, power supply, and communications can be provided independently in an objectively-assessed, sustainable manner, should be permitted, especially where traditional settlement patterns have, in the past, been the norm. Easing restrictions and permitting such sustainable development is likely to increase land and housing affordability.

Thank you for your consideration,

Michael McArdle