Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 October 2023
289. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will report on progress to activate State-owned vacant properties, per objective 4.5 of Housing for All; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43882/23]
View answerTo deliver on Housing for All objective 4.5, the Government has targeted the use of vacant and under-utilised suitable State Lands as an important mechanism for the delivery of additional housing.
The Land Development Act 2021 enables the transfer of these state lands to the Land Development Agency (LDA) for the planning and development of much needed affordable purchase, cost rental and social homes.
The Land Development Agency has a strategic objective to develop a long-term approach to housing pipeline development and manage State land to expedite the provision of affordable and social homes.
To this end, the Government originally agreed the transfer of 8 state owned sites to the LDA to advance housing delivery and, in Housing for All, agreed a further 20 sites for transfer to the LDA.
Work on these sites and projects is steadily advancing. Construction is underway at the site of the former St Kevin's Hospital in Cork City with 265 homes to be delivered between 2025 - 2027, and works will shortly begin on site at Devoy Barracks in Naas where 219 homes are expected to be delivered.
The LDA have secured planning permission for 852 homes on the former Central Mental Hospital site in Dundrum,345 homes in Hackettstown, Skerries and 817 homes in Castlelands, Balbriggan.
Furthermore, the LDA's Report on Relevant Public Lands 2023, identified a further potential pipeline of sites that could potentially be used to develop housing and deliver compact urban development and regeneration. In total, it identifies 83 areas of public land in 10 cities and key urban growth centres where an initial assessment has identified potential to deliver housing-led development that could deliver up to 66,910 homes.
Stakeholder engagement meetings between my Department and the land owners for each of these sites are nearing conclusion, with recommendations for advancing housing delivery, where possible, to be made to me and the Government thereafter.
