House construction in Kilkenny being 'held back' by soaring construction costs

The cost of building locally is an issue that ‘has to be addressed’, according to councillor Martin Brett.

Cllr Brett brought the issue forward during this week’s meeting of Kilkenny County Council following a presentation made to elected members on local housing.

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“At the same time, the cost of renting is going up and places to rent here in Kilkenny are as scarce as hen’s teeth.”

A researched forecast into rising building material costs conducted by Construction Information Services (CIS) recently confirmed that ‘as building sites reopened in July 2021, a wave of price inflation has hit construction materials’.

Local shortages of timber, allied with manufacturing disruptions caused by Covid-19 and extreme weather, have sent some construction costs soaring by up to 60%.

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One of the primary aims of the Government's national 'Housing For All' plan was to introduce measures that would reduce construction costs and support innovation in residential construction.

With construction costs still rising, there remains deep concern here in Kilkenny that a large contingent of prospective houses approved for construction will not be built until this issue is addressed.

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