Government places a high priority on the use of appropriate state-owned lands to support social and affordable housing delivery. The establishing of the LDA allows proactive management of the State’s extensive land bank.
A State Lands and Property Group, under the chair of the Department of An Taoiseach, reports to the Cabinet Committee on Housing and monitors progress on the transfer of State lands to the LDA for housing delivery, identifying any blockages to those land transfers. The Group, along with my Department and the LDA who play a key role here, also works to identify further potential State sites suitable to support housing delivery by the LDA and local authorities.
The Government has agreed the transfer of twenty eight strategic sites in public ownership to the Land Development Agency (LDA) to advance the delivery of housing. Some sites are suitable to progress to design and planning and transfer, subject to achieving statutory consents and agreement on lands transfer. Others are large, complex and/or in operational use. These require further inputs - like master planning, enabling works, relocation of existing operations - before the LDA can make applications for statutory consents or development on all/part of the sites.
The LDA is actively advancing twelve sites, capable of
delivering up to 6,000 homes. Planning applications have now been approved on several sites that include the Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum, Castlelands in Balbriggan, Hackettstown in Skerries and Devoy Barracks, Kildare. Construction work is underway on the site of the former St Kevin's Hospital in Cork where 265 homes will be delivered.
Furthermore, the LDA is working with local authorities to deliver homes in partnership on other key local authority sites. Construction has started on the Shanganagh Castle site, the largest public housing scheme in the State in recent years, which the LDA is delivering with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, expected to yield delivery of 597 homes with delivery beginning in 2024. The LDA are also working in partnership with Dublin City Council on the Donore Project/St Teresa’s, Cherry Orchard and Cromcastle sites, which are projected to yield delivery of c.1,700 homes.
Work is ongoing to identify other state-owned lands that may be available or under-utilised and suitable for social and affordable housing. In the recent statutory Report on Relevant Lands, a total of eighty three sites were identified by the LDA in ten main urban locations (cities and key growth towns). My Department has engaged with all site owners identified in the Report and I expect that further site recommendations for possible transfer will arise from this process.
Robust structures are in place to secure the delivery of affordable housing in line with targets, supporting sustainable development and the efficient delivery of well-planned homes in vibrant communities.
Engagement with stakeholders takes place across Government Departments and Agencies as well as with relevant industry and representative bodies. Collaboration with key delivery partners, namely the Land Development Agency (LDA), Approved Housing Bodies, and local authorities is critical to ensuring delivery of affordable homes targets.
The High Level Affordable Housing Delivery Group brings together these key stakeholders and monitors progress under Housing for All affordable housing delivery streams, identifying and monitoring risks and impediments to delivery and developing mitigation measures as appropriate, with the overarching objective of accelerating the delivery of affordable homes.
