12 January 2026
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
File photo of typical modern estate housing
The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne TD, today announced that from January 2026, all new proposals for new‑build social housing projects up to €200 million will move to a single approval process. The new system will also introduce standardised design and specifications across all projects. These reforms will cut delays, streamline delivery and accelerate the construction of new social homes in Cork City and County Councils and throughout the country.
By replacing the current 4‑stage and single stage approval processes, this new single approval process will remove unnecessary delays and create a clearer, faster pathway for delivering social homes. Standardised design and specifications will drive greater efficiency, improve consistency and ensure better value for money, meaning more high‑quality homes can be delivered sooner for those who need them.
Minister Browne also revealed that between 2022 and September 2025, 3,121 new build social homes have been delivered throughout Cork City Council and Cork County Council areas and that he expects this new process to further accelerate delivery.
Minister Browne said:
“I am determined to use every opportunity available to accelerate the delivery of social homes. That means reducing bureaucracy, cutting red tape and putting in place systems that allow new social homes to be delivered faster and more efficiently.
“These reforms will streamline approvals, embed standardisation and support greater use of modern construction methods, all with the single aim of getting high‑quality homes built sooner for those who need them.
“Since 2022 up to Q3 ‘25, we have added over 3,100 new‑build social homes to the housing stock in Cork, the highest level in a generation, but more needs to be done. With these reforms, I expect 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 Cork get the homes they need.”
This Government’s Housing Action Plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, provides clear targets for local authorities to scale-up social housing delivery, increasing from an average of 8,000 over recent years to an average of 12,000 per year, delivering 72,000 new social homes during the lifetime of the plan.
This streamlined approval process will remove the requirement for additional detailed submissions for review and approval throughout the project lifecycle; and lead to quicker sign off on project proposals from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.