Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 22 January 2026
188. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason for the delay in getting housing developments started on State-owned lands in Dublin 8 and 12 (details supplied); the timeframe for commencement of building work; and the number of homes expected to be built on each site. [4426/26]
View answerThe Government continues to maintain a strong focus on the use of vacant and under utilised state-owned and public land for housing, having agreed the transfer of 37 sites to the Land Development Agency (LDA) for the development of affordable and social housing.
The Digital Hub site, currently occupied by the Digital Hub Development Agency (DHDA), was agreed for transfer by the Government under Housing for All. Planning permission for enabling works on part of the project lands was granted in September 2025. The LDA is continuing to develop designs which respond to the challenges that come with developing a vacant, urban, heritage site in order to submit an application for new homes on the 3.7 -hectare site. Approximately 550 homes are planned in the LDA’s masterplan.
Similarly, the OPW and Irish Rail lands in Inchicore were also agreed by the Government for transfer to the LDA in Housing for All. These lands, together with land owned by ESB, represent a significant quantum of public land in the Inchicore/Jamestown Road area and sit within the wider City Edge regeneration opportunity. Much of these lands are currently in operational use by Irish Rail as a train maintenance and repair depot, by the OPW as a storage and engineering facility and by the ESB as a high voltage electricity sub-station of regional importance. As a result of these current and former uses, there are significant constraints across these lands that require unlocking before residential development can be delivered.
The LDA is also working in partnership with Dublin City Council on 2 local authority owned sites In Dublin 8 and Dublin 12 namely:
• Dolphin House Estate Regeneration Project, Dublin 8 (Phase 2 & 3), a major regeneration project that will deliver over 600 social and affordable homes across phases 2 and 3. This project will replace the existing homes with new quality energy efficient apartments and houses for both current and future residents.
• Bluebell Waterways, Dublin 12, where planning was approved last year for the regeneration and delivery of 383 new Cost Rental and Social homes, with construction targeted to commence this year.
Further information on these development schemes can be found on the LDA's website lda.ie/projects.
Finally, regarding the former Blindcraft factory and the adjacent former Unilever site on Davitt Road, I understand that these sites are in the ownership of the HSE and the current use thereof was outlined in responses to the Deputy by the HSE under PQ's 35756/25 and PQ 35758/25 respectively.
