After almost a decade of debate it is now accepted by virtually everyone in the Irish housing world that, whatever else may be going on, there is a shortage of housing. It is true that the level of new homes needed each year is a matter of on-going debate. My belief, based on reasonable parameters for Ireland three decades hence is that the underlying housing need in Ireland is of the order of 50,000 additional homes per year, but government policy is currently based on a number of 33,000.  What is not in doubt, though – and this should be…