The Land Development Agency (LDA) and Limerick City & County Council (LCCC) have announced plans to deliver 183 affordable homes in Mungret, Co Limerick.
The development includes 183 houses and duplexes, as well as new public amenities and green spaces.
Limerick City and County Council has already secured planning permission for 252 homes at the greenfield site, and the LDA is partnering with the Local Authority, providing infrastructure, expertise and resources to build 181 homes for affordable purchase, enabling low-to-middle income earners buy their own home. Two further homes have been designated as Community Dwellings for people with disabilities and their carers. The remaining homes, creche and community uses will be delivered by Cluid, an Approved Housing Body as part of an integrated scheme for older people.
The land, which is located on the grounds of the former Mungret College and is owned by LCCC, is part of the wider Mungret Framework. The overall Framework aims to unlock substantial lands within public and private ownership and allow construction of residential development supported by community and employment uses. This Framework has the potential to deliver approximately 1,950 dwelling units of which this LDA partnership is an early phase. The Framework has already delivered a new park, playground, schools and a link road and a number of private developer led housing schemes.
The LDA is preparing the tender process for a contractor, with construction on site possible before the end of the year. The project is expected to be completed within 3-4 years with phased handover of units to deliver homes.
This new development will include detached, semi-detached and duplex homes, open spaces and communal amenities with new landscaping and public plaza. Residents will have easy access to excellent transport links into Limerick city centre, which is just fifteen minutes away by car and 25 by bike.
The site is located near to Raheen Business Park, where a number of major employers such as Analog Devices and Stryker, as well as the new state-of-the-art Lily plant, are based.
The project will be rolled out over two phases. Phase One will deliver 99 homes and infrastructure. Phase Two will deliver 84 homes and public realm facilities.
John Coleman, Chief Executive of the LDA, said:
“We are excited to announce this partnership with Limerick City and County Council to deliver these much-needed affordable and social homes. Mungret is a great area. It’s close to Limerick city and within easy reach of a range of amenities. There is a wonderful existing community there, which will be enhanced by the provision of new and affordable high-quality homes.“This partnership is an important step as the LDA seeks to increase its footprint in Limerick. We are increasingly partnering with local authorities to deliver new homes in strategic areas.”
Pat Daly, Chief Executive of Limerick City and County Council added:
“This is an excellent development and we are delighted to be working in partnership with the LDA to deliver more than 180 affordable and social homes in Mungret. This development will complement the work already undertaken by the Council at Mungret Park and will provide a significant residential and economic boost to the area.”
The LDA is working with stakeholders to advance a number of projects across Limerick. Together with Limerick City & County Council and the HSE, the Agency will deliver new homes and help transform the Colbert Quarter area of the city. It will soon publish the consultation and engagement report on plans for up to 600 homes at St Joseph’s Hospital, one of the key development sites of the Colbert Quarter area.Plans to appoint a design team for a site on Carey’s Road are at an advanced stage while the development of another site on the Dock Road is proceeding at pace. The LDA has also secured 81 apartments at The Mills in Castletroy in Limerick as part of its Project Tosaigh initiative. These apartments will be completed later this year and will be made available at cost rental rates.
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 or acquired 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 or acquired lands with many projects already under construction and others at advanced planning stage.
In addition to the direct delivery of homes, 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 at rents significantly below market rents or to purchasers using shared equity schemes. 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.
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 the phased release of 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. A further 57 homes in Wilkinsons Brook, Hollystown in Dublin 15 will be available under the Local Authority Affordable Purchase scheme at the end of May 2024.