Housing Act, 1966

Building programmes.

55.—(1) It shall be the duty of a housing authority, within such period after the commencement of this section as may be specified by the Minister and thereafter either at least once in every five years or at such intervals, being less than five years, as the Minister may direct from time to time, to prepare and adopt a programme (in this Act referred to as a building programme) setting out the works which they propose to undertake having regard to the housing needs of their functional area.

(2) A building programme shall be in such form as the Minister may from time to time direct and shall include the proposals of the housing authority, as respects the period to which the programme relates, for the provision of houses, amenities, buildings and other land together with the ancillary works or services to be provided in connection therewith, together with the proposals of the authority for the assistance of persons providing houses for their own occupation, and for the execution of repair works, together with such other information as the Minister may require, and the housing authority may, if they think fit, include in the programme, an order of priorities relating to any one or more of the following:

(a) particular projects;

(b) projects in particular areas;

(c) projects to provide housing accommodation for particular categories of persons.

(3) In preparing a building programme, a housing authority shall have regard to the following objectives:

(a) the repair, closure or demolition of houses which are unfit or unsuitable for human habitation;

(b) the elimination of overcrowding;

(c) the provision of adequate and suitable housing accommodation for persons (including elderly or disabled persons) who, in the opinion of the authority, are in need of and are unable to provide such accommodation from their own resources;

(d) the provision of adequate housing accommodation to meet needs arising from the obsolescence of dwellings or the prospective increase in the population;

(e) the provision of adequate and suitable sites for building purposes;

(f) the securing of the objectives contained in a development plan under the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act, 1963 , for the area which comprises or includes, as the case may be, the functional area of the authority;

(g) the encouragement by the authority of the provision by persons of houses for owner-occupation by the owner or for letting.

(4) Where a housing authority have prepared and adopted a building programme they shall review the programme from time to time as the Minister or occasion may require and make in it and adopt any variations which they consider proper.

(5) The adoption under this section of either a building programme or a variation in a building programme shall each be a reserved function.