First time buyers and house owners looking to build their own home and live in north Dublin are being urged to apply for a new "ready to build" scheme.
The scheme, which is being offered to those looking to build a home in Fingal, will see the local council make serviced sites (with the necessary infrastructure such as electricity, water and wastewater) available in towns and villages to potential purchasers for the building of a principal private residence. The sites will be sold at a discounted rate of up to €30,000 from the market value which will be determined by the cost of servicing the site.
Part of the requirements of the scheme are that the applicant only buys one site, and that it will be their home once built. Those who already have a home must sell it and move to the newly built home.
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Planning permission has to be applied for within three months of purchase and payment of deposit, and then construction of the residence must begin within 12 months of planning granted.
If the purchaser of the site does not comply with the scheme’s planning permission and home building requirements it must repay the €30,000 to the local authority. If the purchaser sells the home within 10 years, it must pay the local authority a clawback amount.
Announcing the new initiative, Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien said: “We know there is a great appetite out there for people to build their own homes in our many towns and villages. This scheme will provide many people in Fingal with a real opportunity to do so.
"This initiative is among the suite of measures in Housing for All to make housing more affordable for people in Fingal and to strengthen and diversify Fingal’s rural towns and villages so that they are a hub for local housing and employment growth. This new Scheme will bring added vibrancy to Fingal’s towns and villages where housing is needed."
All available sites will be advertised on Fingal County Council’s website and on relevant local publications. Applications can then be made to the council.
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