Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien TD visited Galway Harbour today to formally announce the transfer of a 3-acre site, with the potential for over 250 homes, to the Land Development Agency (LDA).
The land is being transferred from Galway Harbour Company after a period of extensive consultation involving the LDA, Galway Harbour Company and Galway City Council.
A feasibility study for the site has been drawn up by the LDA and the Agency will now proceed to a public consultation process with a planning application for a residential development expected to be made in 2025.
The site enjoys a unique setting in the city centre overlooking Lough Atalia and Galway Bay. The planned development of mainly affordable apartments is adjacent to Eyre Square, Spanish Arch and Ceannt Station, the city’s main transport hub.
Minister O’Brien was joined on site by Head of Property with the LDA Phelim O’Neill, Chairperson of Galway Harbour Company Maurice O’Gorman, Chief Executive of the Galway Harbour Company Conor O’Dowd and Interim Chief Executive of Galway City Council Patricia Philbin.
Commenting on the site transfer and planned development Minister O’Brien said:
“This is an exciting development for Galway and for the LDA and I look forward to construction getting underway. The Government set up the LDA to find underutilised sites, assess their potential and ultimately develop them for housing at a time of pressing need. For this process to achieve results, it is vital that the state agencies in charge of sites identified by the LDA engage constructively and where possible, facilitate the transfer of land. I would like to thank both Galway Harbour Company and Galway City Council for their constructive engagement with the LDA.
“This land transfer will now be added to the LDA’s development pipeline which already includes plans for over 10,000 homes, with a series of developments on state-owned sites already under construction. As the process continues, we expect a steady stream of sites to be transferred to the LDA and we have ensured that the Agency is adequately financed to fund new developments.”
Head of Property with the LDA, Phelim O’Neill added:
“This land at Galway Harbour represents a fantastic opportunity for the development of affordable housing and the creation of a new community in a wonderful location. We were delighted to welcome Minister O’Brien to the site and to have the opportunity to outline our plans for the development of high quality, A-rated homes. The LDA has worked closely on this project with Galway Harbour Company and Galway City Council. We would like to thank both for their work in getting us to this stage as well as thanking the Government for its recent decision to approve the transfer of this and a number of other sites throughout the country. The LDA is rapidly becoming one of the country’s largest homebuilders and we are currently advancing 20 housing sites including a number which are under construction and will deliver homes this year.”
Conor O’Dowd, Chief Executive of Galway Harbour Company, commented:
“The Galway Harbour Inner Dock Project represents a once-in-a generation opportunity to develop a new and sustainable urban quarter in Galway city and solidify Galway’s position as a driver of economic growth for the West of Ireland. It will provide new residential, commercial, recreational, and cultural facilities along the water’s edge leading to employment opportunities and new streams of recreational and cultural tourism for the city. Transferring this land to the LDA is a key part of Phase 1 of the Project and will help ensure a mix of commercial, residential, and public uses in the area. We are pleased to work with the LDA and to play a part in helping to address Galway’s housing need.”
Patricia Philbin, Interim Chief Executive of Galway City Council said:
“Galway City Council is proud to play its part in the economic and social regeneration of the harbour area. The plans envisaged for the harbour devised by the LDA provides a much sought after solution to our housing needs by delivering high quality homes in the heart of the city with excellent access to local transport links, retail and leisure facilities. We look forward to engaging with the LDA as it moves on to the next stage of the process, working with communities in Galway to deliver a development that satisfies the needs of the people of the city.”
The plans for the harbour site are just one of a number of projects the LDA is working on in Galway. The Agency, which specialises in unlocking underutilised public land and the delivery of affordable housing, recently revealed ambitious plans to transform land surrounding Galway’s Sandy Road into a new urban quarter involving up to 750 mixed tenure homes including social and affordable units.
A draft spatial framework for the 24-acre site includes plans for a central park and a series of smaller garden courts, pocket parks and a public square. It also envisages high quality office and commercial space, alongside biodiverse landscaping and much-needed places to live, socialise and work close to Galway city centre.
The LDA is also developing plans to deliver housing on a 1.75-acre site at Dyke Road in Galway City Centre, which has been identified for redevelopment by Galway City Council.
The LDA is the State’s affordable housing delivery body. It is in the process of delivering more than 10,000 homes on State-owned land and over 8,000 through the Government’s Project Tosaigh initiative.
The Agency has existing planning permission for around 6,000 affordable homes on State-owned lands with many projects already under construction and others at advanced planning stage.
In addition to the direct delivery of homes on state-owned or private land, the LDA is overseeing Project Tosaigh, an initiative whereby the agency steps in to purchase stalled or unviable housing projects and then makes the homes available to renters or to buyers at costs significantly below market rents or full market purchase prices. Under this scheme, the LDA is planning to deliver at least 8,000 homes by 2028 with significant numbers of these already delivered.
The LDA recently produced the Report on Relevant Public Land, which advised the government of the potential to deliver 67,000 homes on 83 underutilised State-owned sites. It also announced plans to purchase private sites with planning permission in the country’s five major cities.
The LDA’s direct delivery projects include the construction of 265 homes at St Kevin’s Hospital in Cork, a former HSE site, and the development of 597 homes in Shanganagh in Dublin in partnership with Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.
It also includes 817 homes at a site at Castlelands in Balbriggan in Dublin, 345 in Hacketstown in Skerries in Dublin, 219 at Devoy Barracks in Naas, Co. Kildare, 852 on the former Central Mental Hospital site in Dundrum, Dublin 14 and 543 at St Teresa’s Gardens in Dublin’s south inner city in partnership with Dublin City Council. The Agency also recently purchased a major site in Clongriffin in Dublin, which has the potential to deliver 2,200 homes.
Project Tosaigh is an LDA initiative, whereby the Agency steps in to kick-start stalled or unviable housing projects and then makes the new homes available to renters on a cost rental basis or to purchasers at an affordable price.
The LDA has already launched a number of Project Tosaigh schemes. They include the release of 142 cost rental homes in Archers Wood in Delgany in Wicklow and 95 homes in Parklands on Fortunestown Lane in Citywest in Dublin.
In January 2024, the LDA announced the release of over 600 homes in four locations including 247 at Barnwell Point Apartments in Hansfield in Dublin 15, 236 at The Quarter in Citywest, 86 in Dun Óir in Kilternan in Dublin and 52 in Harpur Lane in Leixlip, Co Kildare.
The Agency has also launched a number of affordable purchase Project Tosaigh developments. These include the phased launch of 92 homes in Clonmore in Mallow in Cork, 95 in Summerfields in Kilbarry in Waterford and 50 in Baker Hall in Navan.