Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

No Landlord Exodus But Still The Same Old Eviction Problems, Lorcan Sirr

Media

There has been a lot of discussion this year about concerns that landlords are fleeing the rental market in the face of rent freezes and difficulties in making a profit — but are they? First, it is important to note that it is not the number of landlords in a market that is relevant, it’s the number of tenancies, which is a measure of the size of the sector. The sector has actually expanded in the past 12 months from about 319,000 tenancies at the end of last year to 324,000 in mid-2016. The number of landlords also increased in …

Eroding Planning Powers Leaves Us At The Mercy Of The Market, Lorcan Sirr

Media

There is little evidence to show that the planning system in Ireland hinders the delivery of housing, yet it is regularly blamed for preventing developers from building. Consistent with our political tradition of “anecdote as fact”, no credible evidence is ever presented to prove these allegations that the planning system—and indeed, planners themselves—are a blockage. The elephant in the room is, of course, owners sitting on land with planning permission who won’t build, or who won’t sell if they can’t afford to build. Critics of the planning system are fewin reality, yet they are vocal and influential. Diluting the system …

You Can Forget About A Housing Recovery With Our Skills Drain, Lorcan Sirr

Media

Over the past 10 years or so, civil service and local authority staffing levels have been dramatically reduced. Those who retired have not been replaced, and other employees have left for the private sector or have taken early retirement because they were unhappy with pay cuts and changes to their contracts.

The results have been mixed. No doubt money has been saved through reduced state pay and some of the employees who left might have been of limited value in the first place. Workloads have increased for those left behind, but there have also been costs that show not all …

If We’Re Playing By The Rules, It Has To Be A Good Game, Lorcan Sirr

Media

In the 2015 book Rule Breakers, author Niamh Hourigan postulates that Ireland’s success and downfall was due to personal relationships being much more important than rules. She says that a “weak rules and strong relationships” tension permeates Irish life, and not only at the top. This seems to have led to Ireland having a reputation of being friendly and open, and an easy place in which to do business. It has also created a place where corruption has been far too easy and widespread as a result of the power and influence of relationships.