Firm building homes in Offaly outlines priorities to tackle housing challenges

The CEO of a firm looking for land for development in Offaly – and which is already building 150 homes in Tullamore and 75 in Birr - has this week listed a series of measures that could be used to address the housing challenges in this country.

Ciaran Fitzpatrick, CEO of the Fitzpatrick & Heavey Group says the housing crisis can only be tackled “with urgency scale and collaboration”.

Stating that his company has the capability to commence 10,000 homes across Ireland within the next two to three years, he qualified the assertion with a caution, stating that to achieve that, it needed the right conditions in place.

“The first priority is land acquisition and zoning. Large, well-located landbanks would allow us to keep building without the delays and inefficiencies that come with moving from one small site to another. Alongside this, faster and more predictable planning permission is critical to getting homes underway quickly.”

Mr Fitzpatrick said there is the Land Development Agency would play a central role, since it holds significant land and has the ability to bring forward shovel-ready sites: “By partnering with private developers like ourselves, they can dramatically accelerate delivery of both social and affordable housing, while reducing the time lost to lengthy planning and procurement processes.”

Continuing, he said that on the ground, his firm is committed to using local staff, suppliers, and subcontractors.

“This keeps skills and jobs in the community, reduces commuting pressures, and provides tradespeople with multi-year certainty, something that makes a real difference to quality of life.”

However, he added, there is also a need for VAT changes for first-time buyers.

“Even a modest adjustment could lower sales prices, support bank financing, and make homeownership genuinely affordable. In recent projects, we’ve delivered high-quality homes priced around €230,000 and they were snapped up immediately. With the right supports, we can replicate that success across towns and counties nationwide.

“The workforce is not the obstacle, we already have the staff, subcontractors, and international expertise ready to go. What we need now is zoned land, planning approvals, infrastructure investment, and fair tax supports. If these pieces are put in place, Fitzpatrick & Heavey Group is ready to scale up immediately and play a leading role in tackling Ireland’s housing shortage head on.”

He concluded by stating that the Fitzpatrick Heavey Group is actively seeking additional land opportunities throughout Ireland as it continues to play a central role in addressing the national housing crisis. The Group currently has over 500 homes under construction including, as well as the Offaly projects, 36 homes in Moate, and others in Wicklow, Cork and Cavan.