Building on solid foundations

As its land portfolio expands, the Land Development Agency is now targeting an annual output of over 5,000 homes by 2029.

At a time of urgent housing need, the Land Development Agency (LDA) is now active on more than 40 sites with a series of projects at every stage from design and planning through to construction and completion.

The LDA’s latest data shows it is on course to reach an annual output of more than 3,000 homes by 2027 and to become the country’s largest housing producer by 2028 when it will deliver a total of almost 3,800 new homes.

The Agency is targeting the completion of over 27,000 homes between now and 2031 including 15,500 through its direct delivery channel and a further 11,600 through Project Tosaigh homebuilder partnerships. The projected output is based on existing funding levels and is in addition to the 2,000 homes already completed since the commencement of the LDA Act in 2021.

As part of its direct delivery channel, the LDA develops housing on land acquired through transfers from other state bodies and through the private market. It also partners with city and county councils to build homes on sites owned by the local authorities.

Through Project Tosaigh, the LDA works in partnership with homebuilders to provide the financial impetus needed to get stalled or unviable projects under construction and ensure their completion.

Significant progress is being made through both channels, with the Agency now targeting the delivery of 5,250 homes in 2029, 5,700 in 2030 and 6,350 in 2031. While the data highlights the increasing levels of LDA activity, the Agency’s impact is best understood through its individual projects.
Later this year, for example, the LDA will bring the first phase of 219 homes at its Barracksfield West development to market, through the Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme. The homes, on the site of the former Devoy Barracks in Naas, County Kildare, comprise a mix of houses, duplexes and apartments.

The development is located southwest of Naas town centre, just minutes from the M7, meaning residents will benefit from easy access to a host of surrounding amenities and services in an area that is also close to major employment hubs.

Meanwhile, the Agency has completed the delivery of 597 homes at Shanganagh Castle Estate in Shankill in Dublin, in partnership with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and construction is ongoing at several other sites including Clongriffin Central in north Dublin, Cherry Orchard Point in west Dublin and An tSrúill in Cromcastle in Dublin 5.

Housing Minister James Browne TD recently visited two developments in north Dublin where the LDA is building 817 homes in Balbriggan in partnership with Ballymore and 345 in Skerries in partnership with Lydon.

As the number of sites under construction increases, the Agency is progressing others through its delivery pipeline with new announcements being made at a steady pace.

In August of this year, for example, the LDA lodged a planning application for 285 new affordable homes at a site on the Dock Road in Limerick, which was transferred to the Agency by Gas Networks Ireland.

In July, it acquired a site in Cookstown in Tallaght from the private market with the potential for 700 homes and in June it announced the purchase of another site in Cherrywood in Dublin 18 with the potential for over 350. In the same month, the LDA and Horse Racing Ireland reached an agreement on the transfer of land in Leopardstown in Dublin to the Agency with the potential for 800 homes.

A key part of the LDA’s private land acquisition programme involves the targeting of sites already identified as suitable for housing or where planning permission has been secured, but where construction has not gone ahead. Such sites then provide an opportunity for the Agency to not only develop sustainable new communities but to deliver new amenities and facilities for those already living nearby.

The Clongriffin Central site in north Dublin, for example, was acquired by the LDA from the private market in late 2023 and in March of this year, the Agency announced the purchase of a neighbouring site in Baldoyle. The two sites are located either side of the Dublin to Belfast train line and the LDA now has the potential to deliver about 4,000 homes in the area surrounding Clongriffin train station, in addition to new infrastructure, streets and parks.

As part of its direct delivery channel, the LDA is also increasingly working in partnership with local authorities. In May, it marked the start of construction on Donore Project in Dublin 8 on the site of the former St Teresa’s Gardens. Like Cherry Orchard Point and An tSrúill, this development is being delivered in partnership with Dublin City Council and involves 542 new homes in addition to a new crèche, community spaces, a café/retail unit, mobility hub and a new home for Donore Boxing Club. Construction on a multipurpose municipal sports pitch is to follow the completion of the new homes.

In the same month, Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD accompanied Minister Browne on a visit to the Cork Docklands where the LDA is partnering with Cork City Council and other stakeholders to deliver new housing in an area undergoing major redevelopment.

At Marina Depot in Cork’s South Docks, the Agency is partnering with Glenveagh to develop 337 new homes, while it is also ensuring the delivery of 302 at Horgan’s Quay in Cork’s city centre in partnership with HQ Developments.

Meanwhile, the LDA is advancing plans to deliver 147 homes at Anglesea Terrace in Cork city centre in partnership with Cork City Council and has just received planning permission to build more than 340 homes at a state-owned site in Wilton in Cork, which was transferred to the Agency in 2024 by the ESB.

These and other projects are just part of a growing pipeline that includes similar developments in cities and commuter belts throughout the country. In time, they will become vibrant communities offering residents the means to enjoy a high quality of life in a new home that they can afford to rent or own.

W: www.lda.ie