Ireland Cannot Repeat the Celtic Tiger Housing Mistakes By Nuala Nolan, Galway
Dear Editor
Danish Dan Jorgensen, Commissioner Dan Jorgensen for The Environment & Housing, has stated at present in the EU there are 1,000,000 people homeless, 75,000,000 living in overcrowded accommodation circumstance and 45,000,000 cannot afford to heat their home. While the EU gives funding towards Housing as a rule it does not interfere with the housing market of member States, but this will have to change given the social unrest the Housing Crisis is causing over the EU.
Short term and temporary renting by tourism is one of the main reasons for this crisis, immigration is another. In Ireland house prices are now passing the asking price of the Celtic Tiger years. Rents have increased Ireland 98%, with one or two other EU countries exceeding this increase.
In 2023 nearly 9% of the EU Population spent 40% of their disposable incomes on accommodation. In Denmark it is 15%, Germany 13%. One thing favours some mainland European Countries is Co-Operative Housing, which has been in place for decades. Which in Denmark there is universal access.
In Ireland we seem to be returning to the disgraced Tiger Housing Market Path with developers talking of “Starter Homes” instead of 2/3/4-bedroom apartment complexes for families with lifetime Secure Tenancies with a Stable Effective Management Structure in place as in the tried and tested Co-operative Housing of some mainland European countries for decades.
Yours Sincerely,
Nuala Nolan
