2021 – 2015 Housing Strategy Leitrim County Development Plan LEITRIM COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2015 - 2021 VOLUME I Leitrim Housing Strategy 2015-2021 LEITRIM COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2015 - 2021 VOLUME I Contents LEITRIM HOUSING STRATEGY 2015-2021 ......................................................................................................... 1 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 PRIMARY PURPOSE OF THE STRATEGY ............................................................................................................ 1 1.2 REVIEW OF THE HOUSING STRATEGY 2009-2015 ............................................................................................ 1 2. HOUSING CONTEXT ......................................................................................................................................... 3 2.1 POLICY CONTEXT ........................................................................................................................................ 3 2.1.1 National Context ............................................................................................................................... 3 2.1.2 Regional Context ............................................................................................................................... 4 2.1.3 Local Context..................................................................................................................................... 5 2.1.4 Housing Policy Context...................................................................................................................... 5 2.2 STATUTORY BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................................... 7 2.3 HOUSING DELIVERY MECHANISMS ................................................................................................................ 8 2.4 CONSIDERATION OF NATIONAL POLICY ......................................................................................................... 10 3. AIM OF THE HOUSING STRATEGY ..................................................................................................................... 11 3.1 METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................................................................... 11 4. ESTIMATING HOUSING DEMAND ..................................................................................................................... 13 4.1 DEMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS .......................................................................................................................... 13 4.2 RECENT POPULATION TRENDS .................................................................................................................... 13 4.2.1 .Age Profile .......................................................................................................................................... 15 4.2.2 Distribution of the Population ......................................................................................................... 16 4.2.3 Natural Change ............................................................................................................................... 18 4.2.4 Migration ........................................................................................................................................ 18 4.2.5 Employment .................................................................................................................................... 19 4.2.6 Socio-Economic Indicators .............................................................................................................. 20 4.3 HOUSING VACANCY .................................................................................................................................. 23 4.3.1 County-Wide Vacancy ..................................................................................................................... 23 4.3.2 Towns Vacancy ............................................................................................................................... 25 4.3.3 Urban-Rural Vacancy Split .............................................................................................................. 26 4.4 HOUSEHOLD SIZE ..................................................................................................................................... 26 4.5 POPULATION TARGETS .............................................................................................................................. 27 4.6 HOUSING REQUIREMENT ........................................................................................................................... 27 4.7 SUMMARY OF KEY ISSUES IN ESTIMATING HOUSING DEMAND .......................................................................... 29 5. HOUSING TARGETS AND LAND SUPPLY .............................................................................................................. 30 5.1 ESTIMATING HOUSING SUPPLY ................................................................................................................... 30 5.2 HOUSE COMPLETIONS ............................................................................................................................... 30 5.2.1 House Types .................................................................................................................................... 31 5.3 UNFINISHED HOUSING .............................................................................................................................. 32 5.4 LOCAL PLANNING POLICY ........................................................................................................................... 33 5.5 PRIVATE-RENTED SECTOR .......................................................................................................................... 33 5.6 HOUSING SUPPLY ..................................................................................................................................... 34 5.6.1 Core Strategy 2009-2015 ................................................................................................................ 34 5.6.2 Core Strategy 2015-2021 ................................................................................................................ 35 5.7 SUMMARY OF KEY ISSUES IN ESTIMATING HOUSING SUPPLY ............................................................................. 35 6. ESTIMATING THE AFFORDABILITY MODEL .......................................................................................................... 37 6.1 DEMOGRAPHIC AND INCOME DISTRIBUTION ASSESSMENT OF AFFORDABILITY ...................................................... 37 6.1.1 Income & Disposable Income .......................................................................................................... 37 6.2 HOUSE PRICE TRENDS ............................................................................................................................... 38 6.3 HOUSE PRICE DATA .................................................................................................................................. 39 6.4 ANALYSIS: THE AFFORDABILITY MODEL ........................................................................................................ 43 6.4.1 Incomes ........................................................................................................................................... 43 6.4.2 Housing Price Ranges ...................................................................................................................... 43 6.4.3 Interest Rates .................................................................................................................................. 44 6.4.4 Loan to Value Ratio ......................................................................................................................... 45 6.5 THE AFFORDABILITY MODEL CONCLUSION .................................................................................................... 45 LEITRIM COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2015 - 2021 VOLUME I 6.6 SUMMARY OF KEY ISSUES IN ESTIMATING AFFORDABILITY ................................................................................ 46 7. SOCIAL HOUSING .......................................................................................................................................... 48 7.1 SOCIAL HOUSING PROVISION ...................................................................................................................... 48 7.1.1 Current Social Housing Stock .......................................................................................................... 48 7.2 THE ASSESSMENT OF HOUSING NEED........................................................................................................... 48 7.3 SPECIALISED HOUSING REQUIREMENTS ........................................................................................................ 53 7.3.1 Traveller Accommodation ............................................................................................................... 53 7.3.2 Housing for Older Persons .............................................................................................................. 53 7.3.3 Accommodation of the Homeless ..................................................................................................