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State Bodies

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 November 2021

Tuesday, 30 November 2021

Questions (253)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

253. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number and details of projects the Land Development Agency is involved in; the projected dates of completion for these projects; and the breakdown of these projects in terms of the number of social, affordable and private houses generated. [58838/21]

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Written answers

The Land Development Agency (LDA) was established on an interim basis in September 2018, by way of an Establishment Order made under the Local Government Services (Corporate Bodies) Act 1971. The Land Development Agency Act was recently signed in law and, on commencement, the LDA will be established as a commercial State agency.

There is ongoing engagement between the LDA and my Department in relation to the identification of relevant public lands suitable for the delivery of substantial additional housing in locations with a significant housing need. In the table below, are sites for future housing development which the LDA are currently engaged in.

Project name

Size

Projected number of units

Stage of the process / targeted completion date

CMH, Dundrum

28 acres

1,050 homes (estimated)

Pre-planning public consultation complete. LDA expects to lodge a planning application in Q1 2022.

Devoy Barracks, Naas

10.08 acres

218 homes (estimated)

An Bórd Pleanala refused permission for a scheme of 221 units in August 2021. Revised application anticipated to be submitted for c. 219 units in Quarter 1 2022

St. Kevin's Hospital, Cork

14.5 acres

265 homes

Granted planning permission April 2021. First homes to be available in 2023. Enabling works tender issued November 2021

Meath Hospital, Dublin 8

0.75 acres

Under review

Project under review.

Hackettstown, Skerries

16.8 acres

344 homes (estimated)

S34 roads application being progressed with Fingal Co. Co. Planning application expected in Q1 in 2022.

Castlelands, Balbriggan

55 acres

817 homes (estimated)

S34 roads application being progressed with Fingal Co. Co. Planning application expected in Q1 2022.

Columb Barracks, Mullingar

24.7 acres

200 homes (estimated)

Public consultation complete to inform regeneration plan.

Pre-planning.

Feasibility stage, advancing development framework.

Dyke Road, Galway (in partnership with Galway City and County Council)

4.3 acres

200 homes (estimated)

Preliminary Design complete. Engagement with Galway City Council is on-going.

St. Teresa’s Gardens (Donore Project) (in partnership with Dublin City Council)

5.87ha

c.550

Pre-development stage

Cherry Orchard (in partnership with Dublin City Council)

12.7ha

c.800-1000

Pre-development stage – LDA procuring design team

Shanganagh, Shankhill (in partnership with Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council)

597 (Approximately 34% of the units will be for social housing, 51% will be cost rental and 15% will be for affordable purchase)

Planning permission was granted for the development in July 2020. Work has commenced on the construction tender process

The LDA is also developing a regional cities strategy. As part of this strategy, the LDA is running a design review of the Sandy Road Regeneration Project in Galway which has the potential for up to 1,000 homes. Also in partnership with Limerick City and County Council and other stakeholders, the LDA recently put a Draft Spatial Framework on public display in respect of the proposed regeneration of c.69 hectares of largely state owned land centred around Colbert station in Limerick.

A Cork Docklands Delivery Office was also established by Cork City Council in partnership with the LDA. The partnership will seek to promote a regeneration project of international scale and significance in Cork City. Cork City Docklands is Ireland’s largest regeneration project with a total area of 146ha of land. The new office will lead the development of thousands of homes and the creation of a new urban centre for international investment into Cork City.

The Government's Housing for All Strategy identifies a further 20 sites, in addition to the LDA's initial sites, with the potential to yield up to 15,000 units over time. These lands will transfer to LDA ownership as soon as practicable. The LDA, in consultation with the relevant Department, will undertake the process of due diligence on these lands, which will determine the appropriate residential yield for each site and other issues arising such as relocation of services.

An early site to transfer under Housing for All is the properties held by the Digital Hub Development Agency (DHDA) in the Liberties area of Dublin. The Government announced earlier this year that the properties held by the DHDA are to be transferred to the LDA in mid-2022. The LDA intends to prepare a plan for development on the site and will engage with the local community and other stakeholders on other potential civic and community uses in addition to housing.

Under Housing for All, the LDA will also be responsible for ‘Project Tosaigh’, a new strategy to unlock stalled or slow developments on non-state lands. As part of this plan, the LDA will be tasked with intervening in slow or stalled developments, through an open and transparent process, designed to ascertain the potential for it to enter into strategic partnerships with landowners in order to unlock and accelerate delivery. It is estimated that this plan could deliver up to 5,000 new affordable homes on such lands that otherwise would not have been delivered, or would be delivered much more slowly. An initial call for expressions of interest has now been opened by the LDA and is set to run until early December.

Under the LDA Act, there is a minimum 50% affordable housing delivery requirement for those relevant public lands which are subject to Part 9 of the Act, with a minimum of 80% affordable housing on relevant public lands in urban areas with a population greater than 150,000, that is Dublin and Cork cities. This will be in addition to the increased 20% Part V social and affordable housing obligation being introduced under the Affordable Housing Act which will ensure that there will be 100% affordable and social housing on such lands in our largest cities.

Completion dates will also be dependent on the finalisation of plans and planning permission being sought as many of the sites will be phased over years due to size and scale of the developments.

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