Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 May 2026
224. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to detail the infrastructural upgrades deemed necessary to support planned housing delivery in Kildare North; the basis on which these projects have been prioritised relative to other areas; the extent to which current departmental assessments align with local authority development plans; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37558/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraPlanning for the provision of infrastructure is a core element of the statutory development plan-making process and is key to promoting the development of sustainable communities.
The local authority development plan sets the strategy for the development of a city or county area over a six-year period. This includes a requirement under Section 10 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) to include policies and objectives relating to the provision of physical infrastructure.
The power to make or vary a development plan is a reserved function of the elected members of each planning authority.
The Kildare County Council Development Plan 2023 to 2029 and related local area plans identify the infrastructure necessary to support housing delivery in areas including Kildare North. The assessment and prioritisation of infrastructure projects in this area is informed by a range of factors, including the scale of housing and other development planned, and the capacity of existing infrastructure to unlock new homes in the short to medium term.
I have established the Housing Activation Office (HAO) in my Department, to accelerate the delivery of public infrastructure projects needed to enable housing development in towns and cities across the country. The office works with stakeholders across Government, including individual local authorities such as Kildare County Council, to identify and resolve infrastructure constraints that are impacting on housing development.
The Government also announced a new multiannual €1 Billion Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund (HIIF) on 21 January 2026 to directly support investment in housing enabling infrastructure. The fund is managed by the Housing Activation Office in my Department. The core objective of the HIIF is to unblock infrastructure constraints and activate lands already identified for housing under development plans. By investing directly in transport, water, electricity and other enabling infrastructure, the fund will ensure that land is properly serviced and ready to deliver homes.
Call 1 of the HIIF opened for applications from local authorities and the Land development Agency (LDA) on 21 January 2026 and closed on Friday 27 February 2026. Applications have been received from local authorities across the country, including Kildare County Council, and from the LDA. Applications under the first call of the HIIF, are currently under assessment by the Housing Activation office. Funding decisions will be made shortly in line with the scheme’s governance arrangements.
Question No. 225 answered with Question No. 179.
Question No. 226 answered with Question No. 213.
Question No. 227 answered with Question No. 216.
