New dwelling numbers pass 2024 level

More than 450 new dwellings were completed in Westmeath between the end of March and the end of September, figures from the Central Statistics Office show.

In the third quarter of this year 223 dwellings were completed and the figure for the previous three months was 236; also 75 dwellings were completed in the first three months of the year.

The figures are considerably higher than for the comparable period last year, at 482 over the full 12 months. The figure for this year to date is 534.

To date this year 334 houses in schemes have been completed, above last year’s total of 317.

Of the total for this year, 105 are single houses while the total number of single houses completed in 2024 amounted to 133. In apartments, the contrast in numbers is starker, 95 having been completed this year to date but just 30 in the whole of last year.

The greatest growth in new dwelling completions is in the Mullingar electoral area, at 262 completed so far this year.

The Athlone figure is 148, while the figure for the Kinnegad electoral area is 65 and for Moate electoral area, 59.

Minister Robert Troy, TD, said that increasing supply is central to addressing the housing crisis. “The figures are encouraging, but we will not be complacent,” he said. “Building more homes is the most effective way to tackle the housing crisis. Behind every statistic is a real home for a family or first-time buyer who now has the chance to settle and build their future.”

He said the recent budget had provided record funding for housing, showing government commitment to tackling the crisis. “But funding alone will not solve the challenges we face. That is why we are reforming the planning system to deliver homes more quickly, taking steps to strengthen the rental market and encourage investment, and providing new supports for people buying or renting their homes.”