The Healthy Homes Ireland Forum met on 3 December at the European Commission representation in Dublin. The Forum, chaired by Susan Vickers, brought together experts and policymakers from Ireland and Europe to discuss how Ireland balances the urgent need to build more affordable homes at pace against achieving greener and healthier homes.
First, we heard from Matthew Baldwin, head of the European Commission’s Housing Task Force, about the European Affordable Housing Plan. He spoke about the main ambitions of the plan, including how the Commission hopes to support member states to make the best use of existing housing stock through renovation. He also emphasised that increasing the affordability of housing should not come at the expense of sustainability or quality.
This was followed by a panel discussion, featuring Eamon Ryan, former Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications and chair of the European Commission’s Housing Advisory Board, John O’Connor, former chair of the Housing Commission, and Ali Grehan, chair of IGBC and former Dublin City Architect.
They spoke about the need for the Irish Government not to lose sight of the need to build healthy, green homes that are well connected to the local community, green space and sustainable transport options. Doing so will benefit Ireland in the long run, delivering cost savings in the healthcare sector, helping Ireland meet its climate targets, and supporting social cohesion.
You can read more about the discussion in this article by the Business Posthttps://lnkd.in/dB-dMU7x
Thank you to all our guests for what was a very engaging and insightful discussion on the future of Irish housing.
Healthy Homes Ireland is an initiative between the Irish Green Building Council and VELUX, with secretariat support provided by Chambré.
