Shortage of 3,000 homes in Galway by 2021

The Government’s economic think tank has predicted there will be a shortage of more than 3,000 homes in Galway by 2021.

A study by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) on projected population change and housing demand has found that the number of households in Galway will increase by around 1,200 each year in the coming year.

According to Dr Edgar Morgenroth, who penned the report, there will be a shortage of homes, unless construction gets underway. He has predicted a requirement for more than 3,000 homes across Galway by 2021.

“The analysis I’ve carried out looks at population projections up to 2021 and the degree of housing need.

“Without additional completions, we’re going to be in a position where there isn’t enough housing to meet demand,” said Dr Morgenroth.

The predicted shortage comes despite previous reports showing almost 7,000 empty houses and apartments in Galway – the legacy of the Celtic Tiger property boom.

In 2010, a report from the National Institute for Regional and Spatial Awareness (NIRSA) entitled ‘A Haunted Landscape: Housing and Ghost Estates in Post-Celtic Tiger Ireland’ – found that many local authorities allowed an oversupply of housing to be created, including County Galway, with an estimated excess of 6,975 homes.

“The level of excess housing stock is such that they’re not going to run out of housing as quickly as the Dublin area. I would expect there to be a requirement for additional housing units over and above what is currently being completed by 2021,” he said.

Read more in this week’s Connacht Tribune