Government places a high priority on the use of appropriate state-owned lands to support social and affordable housing delivery. In Housing for All, the Government agreed the transfer of twenty strategic sites in public ownership to the Land Development Agency (LDA) in addition to the initial set of sites agreed for transfer on the establishment of the LDA. Significant progress has been made in advancing housing delivery on many of these sites.
The LDA is progressing its work developing housing on state-owned lands and is actively advancing twelve sites, capable of
delivering about 6,000 homes. Planning applications have now been approved on several sites that include the Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum, Castlelands in Balbriggan and 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.
The LDA is also working with local authorities to deliver homes in partnership on other key 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 Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, expected to yield delivery of 597 homes 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.
Some sites are suitable to progress to design and planning and early transfer, subject to achieving statutory consents and agreement. Others are large, complex and/or in operational use. These require further inputs, such as master planning, enabling works, relocation of existing operations, before the LDA can make applications for statutory consents or development.
Work is ongoing to identify further 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). The lands were classified under three broad categories based on the level of constraint identified to development. Subject to further assessment, the Class 1 land has the potential to deliver between 7,270 - 9,760 new homes. My Department is 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.
