The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne TD, has announced a phased end to Turnkey Acquisitions for social housing, shifting delivery towards local authority and Approved Housing Body (AHB) own-build programmes and partnership-led development with the Land Development Agency (LDA).

Under the transition, the final date for submitting Turnkey Acquisition funding applications to the Department will be 31 December 2027. After this deadline, no new proposals will be accepted. The move is intended to give local authorities and AHBs time to recalibrate towards direct delivery and early-stage partnership models.

The policy marks a move away from purchasing completed or already-commenced new-build units where local authorities or AHBs have had no opportunity to influence the design, mix or specification of homes. Instead, social housing will increasingly be delivered via expanded own-build pipelines and through partnership development approaches led by local authorities, AHBs and the LDA.

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Engagement with developers will take place at the earliest possible point in the project cycle to ensure schemes are designed around identified social housing needs, using standardised designs where appropriate.

Minister Browne said: "This measure was a commitment in both our Programme for Government and our new Housing Action Plan, ‘Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030’. It will increase the emphasis on planned, needs-led social housing delivery and cease the reliance on the acquisition of homes that would otherwise have been available to the private market. In essence, it will ensure much more homes available in social and private sectors.

"I am determined to ensure that social housing is delivered through programmes where the State can influence the design, specification and mix of homes from the outset, ensuring that developments are aligned with identified social housing needs and local authority housing delivery objectives. This measure gives us the greater control needed to do just that.

"Additionally, the cessation of Turnkey Acquisitions – creating a greater focus on direct delivery by local authorities, AHBs and the LDA – will lead to a more sustainable and predictable pipeline of social housing provision over the longer term."

A Social Housing Circular will issue shortly, detailing the revised policy and transition arrangements. Local authorities and AHBs may continue to submit Turnkey Acquisition proposals up to 31 December 2027. Projects approved by that date will proceed to completion, with output from the existing pipeline expected to continue through 2027, 2028 and, in some cases, 2029, tapering as approved schemes are delivered.