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Reposted by Orla Hegarty

Dublin Inquirer @dublininquirer.com · 5h

To ease loneliness, Fingal considers piloting “chatty” benches for making connections. “If we could put the phone away and have a chat with the person who happens to be sitting next to us on the bench, I think it would bring a sense of community.”

To ease loneliness, Fingal considers piloting “chatty” benches for making connections

“If we could put the phone away and have a chat with the person who happens to be sitting next to us on the bench, I think it would bring a sense of community.”

www.dublininquirer.com

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Orla Hegarty @orla-hegarty.bsky.social · 1h

If you don’t value the arts, you don’t value humanity

.. & if you kill the arts there will be nothing for AI to steal

The Verge @theverge.com · May 26

Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry

Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.

buff.ly

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Orla Hegarty @orla-hegarty.bsky.social · 1h

yes, it’s a consequence of poor decisions & ill-informed choices. The property lobbyists have done the govt absolutely no favours but they don’t see that. Yet

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Orla Hegarty @orla-hegarty.bsky.social · 3h

My comments on @rteradio1.bsky.social Late Debate yesterday ( #Housing from 10:32) #SpeirGorm #Budget2026

www.rte.ie/radio/radio1...

The Late Debate Tuesday 7 October 2025

Live debate, in-depth interviews, analysis of the political stories of day and discussion on international issues.

www.rte.ie

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Orla Hegarty @orla-hegarty.bsky.social · 3h

student housing is also earning a lot as short-term holiday lets

Orla Hegarty @orla-hegarty.bsky.social · 3h

link to Minister for Housing’s claims on @rteradio1.bsky.social today

“Minister admits apartment tax break is about viability rather than affordability” www.rte.ie/radio/radio1...

Minister admits apartment tax break is about viability rather than affordability

James Browne, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, on the government's housing changes as announced in the Budget.

www.rte.ie

Orla Hegarty @orla-hegarty.bsky.social · 3h

Planning doesn’t control whether apartments are for sale or rent, but the Minister has other tools that could. Most renters want to buy & most want family homes

Orla Hegarty @orla-hegarty.bsky.social · 3h

Yes “Currently in Dublin, looking at a small sample of new-build apartments, studios ‘earn’ an around €58- per m2 per month, 1-bedrooms around €53- & 2-beds around €41. Incredibly, ‘co-living’ rooms can earn over €100- for a home not much bigger than a parking space” www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2...

Why new apartment standards won't mean housing more people

Half of the households in Ireland have children, yet there is no plan for where, and how, the next generations will live

www.rte.ie

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Orla Hegarty @orla-hegarty.bsky.social · 5h

here’s just one recent example of very major policy change that could have been tested on the back on an envelope in half an hour www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2...

Why new apartment standards won't mean housing more people

Half of the households in Ireland have children, yet there is no plan for where, and how, the next generations will live

www.rte.ie

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Orla Hegarty @orla-hegarty.bsky.social · 5h

it claims it costs €600,000 using a land speculator delivery model, one that is high risk, high cost, high margin..however these figures are industry estimates (not audited costs) ..& yes there are many other more efficient delivery models that don’t double the cost of bricks & mortar, not published

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Orla Hegarty @orla-hegarty.bsky.social · 5h

nothing in housing policy is shocking anymore- no supporting evidence, no critical thinking, no risk assessment, no vision

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Orla Hegarty @orla-hegarty.bsky.social · 5h

so on the Minister’s own figures that’s almost €70,000 profit as an incentive for building a 2-bedroom urban apartment

.. more govt interventions that are inflationary, that drive up land values, that shore up dysfunction, & that worsen the housing crisis

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Orla Hegarty @orla-hegarty.bsky.social · 6h

the VAT cut adds €20,000 to this profit margin, for every apartment from today

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Orla Hegarty @orla-hegarty.bsky.social · 6h

the Minister’s own department published this earlier this year

Profit: €48,605 per unit on urban apartments

Developer risk/margin on table of total development costs

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Orla Hegarty @orla-hegarty.bsky.social · 6h

Minister for Housing on @rteradio1.bsky.social

“if there was even a small profit people should be building apartments”

“it’s not a measure to make apartments affordable”

Property lobbying narratives are being adopted as housing policy with no transparency, no evidence & no independent analysis

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Orla Hegarty @orla-hegarty.bsky.social · 7h

“VAT reduction will* help address the viability gap** in apartment construction as part of a social policy to deliver more & higher-density*** apartments”

*might

**increase profit margins

***more smaller, darker apartments that fit fewer people
www.irishtimes.com/ireland/hous... @irishtimes.com

This is a budget for developers, but what do renters, landlords and house hunters get?

Supports in place kept on but Government’s key focus shifts to developers

www.irishtimes.com

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Orla Hegarty @orla-hegarty.bsky.social · 19h

📻 I’ll be speaking about #housing in #Budget2026 tonight on @rteradio1.bsky.social @latedebaterte.bsky.social 10-11pm #SpeirGorm

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Reposted by Orla Hegarty

Business Post @businesspost.bsky.social · 1d

Slew of tax breaks for apartment building in Budget 2026

Live Blog: Budget 2026 – every key development as it happens

dlvr.it

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Orla Hegarty @orla-hegarty.bsky.social · 1d

It will get worse…the new apartment standards allow developers to “design out” childcare facilities in new apartment schemes.. because childcare provision is calculated on the number of 2+bedroom apts, and there is no longer a requirement to provide apartments of this size

Orla Hegarty @orla-hegarty.bsky.social · 1d

“targeted measures for the most vulnerable” #Budget2026 #Speirgorm

RTÉ News @news.rte.ie · 1d

The Government will reduce the VAT rate on the sale of completed apartments to 9% from 13.5%, from tonight until the end of December 2030

Govt to cut VAT rate on apartments sales from 13.5% to 9%

The Government will reduce the VAT rate on the sale of completed apartments to 9% from 13.5%, from tonight until the end of December 2030.

www.rte.ie

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Reposted by Orla Hegarty

Frank O'Connor @frankoconnor.bsky.social · 1d

Inaugural World Vacant Homes Day launch 12pm tomorrow in Dublin, Ireland
Initiated by Tom Gilligan, Mayo County Council to shine a light on vacancy epidemic
As instigators of #DerelictIreland movement me &
@judesherry.bsky.social are the guest speakers

Book here:
www.eventbrite.com/e/world-vaca...

World Vacant Homes Day

A new initiative led by Tom Gilligan, Director of Services at Mayo County Council, with special speakers Jude Sherry and Dr. Frank O'Connor.

www.eventbrite.com

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Orla Hegarty @orla-hegarty.bsky.social · 1d

So a #budget26 VAT cut to “encourage apartment building”

..not to make more affordable or to house more people

..a sweetener for developers that will be absorbed into margins & land values, worsening structural problems in sector

€250mil that could have done so much more to reduce #housingcrisis

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Orla Hegarty @orla-hegarty.bsky.social · 1d

related: lobbying for a VAT cut irp.cdn-website.com/4065c16c/fil...

Orla Hegarty @orla-hegarty.bsky.social · 1d

VAT cut 13.5% to 9%:

3-bed semi detatched house- no change

2-bed suburban apartment- VAT cut €18,400 (3% of sales price)

2-bed urban apartment- VAT cut €19,000 (3% of sales price)

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Orla Hegarty @orla-hegarty.bsky.social · 1d

“Residual” land value uplift calculations bsky.app/profile/orla...

Orla Hegarty @orla-hegarty.bsky.social · 11d

New homes VAT cut proposed by Housing Minister & Taoiseach

So what’s immediate impact of VAT cut from 13.5% to say 9% on development land values using Dept Housing’s own costs?

Suburban housing sites up 14%
Suburban apartment sites up 34%
Urban apartment sites up 23% assets.gov.ie/static/docum...

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