Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 October 2024
426. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide an update on Project Tosaigh in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42568/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Land Development Agency (LDA) was established with a focus on managing the State’s lands to develop new homes and regenerate underutilised sites. It has also been tasked with unlocking stalled, private, planning-consented developments in the shorter-term through Project Tosaigh, its market engagement initiative.
The LDA is targeting 8,000 new homes over the course of the Project Tosaigh initiative. They are currently on track to deliver 5,000 new homes for social housing, Cost Rental and Affordable Purchase to eligible households by end 2026. In excess of 2,500 social, affordable purchase or cost rental homes are already either delivered, contracted or approved to proceed within the LDA to date under Project Tosaigh's first phase. As part of this initial phase, the LDA delivered 73 Cost Rental homes in Kildare in 2023.
To deliver the next phase of Project Tosaigh, a framework panel consisting of 15 of Ireland’s largest and most experienced home-builders to accelerate the delivery of affordable homes was announced on 12 June 2024. It is anticipated that the first projects from this framework panel will be agreed in the coming months.
Additionally, Government has agreed the transfer of over 30 state land sites to the LDA for regeneration and development of social & affordable homes. These sites have the collective potential to deliver over 18,000 new homes. Of these sites, the land at Devoy Barracks in Naas, Co. Kildare has been transferred, and construction of housing commenced in December 2023. 219 homes in total are expected to be constructed, and crèche facilities, with expected delivery of the first phase of homes expected in Q4 2025 and the remainder by Q4 2026.
