James Browne, the minister for housing, local government and heritage, opened the conference, which was chaired by Fidelma McManus, partner and head of housing at Beauchamps.

Taking place under the heading “Momentum Matters”, the conference consisted of focused discussions on converting recent policy advances into accelerated housing delivery, particularly in the context of the revised national development plan (NDP) review 2025 and the government’s new national housing plan.

Mr Browne told the conference: “I have gained significant momentum in this brief since taking over the reins in January. It began with a swift analysis of where we were, and what we need to do to unclog the system.

“I’ve clearly marked the card of this sector on my intention to snip through unnecessary delays to delivery of homes of all tenure types as quickly as it is possible. I am moving at pace because I am driven by the genuine intent to tackle what is a housing crisis in the country.”

A pre-recorded address was also delivered by the minister for public expenditure, infrastructure, public service reform and digitalisation, Jack Chambers.

Mr Chambers underlined the transformational ambition of the NDP review 2025, which earmarks nearly €36 billion for housing, accounting for over one third of all exchequer capital funding to 2030. He stressed that increased investment alone is not enough, comprehensive system reform and radical overhaul is crucial to delivery.  

Closing the event, Ms McManus said: “We’ve moved beyond simply identifying the challenges. This year, the focus is firmly on implementing recent policies, addressing viability, restoring certainty and stability and rebuilding momentum to accelerate current delivery and establish a robust pipeline for the next decade.”