Department Of Housing Shifts Blame On To Council As Kildare Families Priced Out Of "Affordable" Housing Again

In a statement to Kfm News, the Department said the Barracksfield West development is part of the Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme, and that the minimum prices, about 24% below market value, were decided by the Council.

The Department of Housing says it’s Kildare County Council’s responsibility to set the prices for the new affordable homes planned for Naas — even though some of those homes are too expensive for buyers using the State’s own home loan scheme.

In a statement to Kfm News, the Department said the Barracksfield West development is part of the Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme, and that the minimum prices, about 24% below market value, were decided by the Council.

It confirmed that one and two-bed homes are within the limits of the Local Authority Home Loan, but three-bedroom homes, starting at €365,216, are above the loan cap for Kildare.

The Department said the two housing supports are separate schemes — the Affordable Purchase Scheme run by local authorities, and the Home Loan, which has national price limits set by Government.

This essentially means that while both schemes are run through local authorities, they are administered separately: councils manage pricing under the Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme, while the Department sets national loan caps for the Local Authority Home Loan scheme.

The Department’s position means that local authorities must set prices, even if those prices put some homes beyond the reach of buyers using the State-backed loan, as is the case with the Barracksfield West Development  - a site situated on land that was previously part of the former Devoy Barracks complex.

That divide means some families who qualify for the loan still can’t buy homes advertised as affordable, because they are priced above the loan's €360,000 threshhold.

The Department added that a review of the loan’s income and property limits is under consideration by Minister James Browne, with any changes expected in the first half of 2026.

Naas mother-of-two Sandra Rowe told Kfm News she and her husband, both working full time and approved for a local authority loan, have once again been priced out - just as they were at Lattin Place, where three-beds also started at €365,000.

She said: “I have the savings, I have the funds, but the threshold limit is too low. It’s heartbreaking.”

She said the council's "hands are tied" but, according to the Department of Housing, the final prices of the homes at the new Naas development were decided by Kildare County Council.

"In line with the Affordable Housing Act 2021, the administration of Affordable Purchase Scheme projects, including the setting of minimum prices at which homes are made available to eligible persons, is a matter for the local authority concerned," a spokesperson for the Department of Housing said.

Independent Councillor Bill Clear said “nothing has been learned” and there is “no joined-up thinking” between the Department and the Council.

The Barracksfield West project includes 219 A-rated homes on the former Devoy Barracks site, with 66 due next year.

The Land Development Agency is developing the Barracksfield West site on State-owned land in partnership with Kildare County Council.

Applications open on Wednesday, November 26th.