Opening the conference, minister for housing James Browne remarked: “A well-functioning housing system is essential for creating a sustainable, inclusive society. Strengthening the housing sector to be able to meet Ireland’s housing needs is my absolute priority.

“The Government is taking decisive action and committing record investment to boost housing supply, but we cannot achieve our ambitious targets alone. The support of planners, architects, construction companies, Local Authorities and other key stakeholders is vital to meeting the scale of Ireland’s housing challenge.

“We now have clear momentum in the sector – supply has increased significantly and the pipeline is also strong – but there is much more to be achieved. My focus remains on maintaining and building on that momentum, as we work together to deliver the homes that Ireland needs.”

Reflecting this year’s theme, ‘Beyond the Blueprint’, the conference focused on the practical actions needed to convert policy into tangible delivery, from unlocking infrastructure and alignment of state agencies, addressing affordability pressures to improving viability and building a stronger, more sustainable delivery pipeline.

Fidelma McManus, partner and head of housing at Beauchamps, chaired two panel discussions tackling the most pressing issues facing the sector.

The first panel, ‘Breaking the Infrastructure Bottleneck’, featured Garret Doocey, deputy secretary general, Housing Activation Office; Maria O’Dwyer, infrastructure delivery director, Uisce Éireann; John Coleman, chief executive, Land Development Agency; and Alice Charles, director, Cities, Planning and Design, Arup. The panel examined how to unblock residential projects by addressing utility deficits, accelerating infrastructure delivery, streamlining planning processes and aligning State investment with national housing objectives.

The second panel, ‘What will it take to deliver Affordable Housing at scale?’ featured Caroline Timmons, assistant secretary, Housing Policy and Standards Division; Mick Mulhern, assistant chief executive, Dublin City Council; Mandy Johnston, chief executive officer, Irish Institutional Property; and Aoife Watters, chief executive officer, Respond. Discussion centred on current housing output, affordability, viability and the conditions required to attract long-term institutional capital and deliver affordable homes at greater pace and scale.

Closing the event, Ms McManus stated: “Beyond the Blueprint is more than a theme. Policy direction is clear and the plan is in place, but delivery now depends on decisive implementation: unlocking infrastructure, improving viability and restoring certainty will be critical to attracting the private and international capital needed to deliver homes at the scale and pace Ireland needs.”