The Land Development Agency (LDA) has announced that it is seeking expressions of interest from landowners to purchase privately owned sites for the delivery of affordable housing. Initially established to deliver affordable housing on State-owned land, the LDA has planning permission for over 3,500 homes on State-owned lands, with many projects already under construction. The agency has also taken on the task of running Project Tosaigh, a government initiative where it purchases and completes stalled or unviable housing projects in partnership with developers. These homes are then made available through affordable purchase or cost rental schemes.
As part of its remit, the LDA has the option to buy privately-owned land to deliver affordable housing, and it has now identified the need and opportunity to do so. The agency will consider all submissions received, focusing initially on large-scale sites that could accommodate higher density homes in the five main cities of Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, and Waterford. The LDA is particularly interested in large-scale sites with existing planning permission for over 200 homes. The agency will assess the sites based on criteria such as transport links, development viability, and building cost efficiencies. Sites close to or near existing State-owned lands will be of particular interest.
John Coleman, chief executive of the LDA, stated, “The LDA is seeking to maximise every opportunity to deliver affordable housing. As we continue to grow and maintain a steady pipeline of affordable housing, it makes sense to also look at potential opportunities involving the outright purchase of privately-owned land, and we are now seeking expressions of interest from landowners in this regard. We believe it is possible to acquire sites in the country’s main cities at costs that allow for the development of affordable housing, particularly in cases where we can deploy the LDA’s expertise and experience at scale on projects that will deliver the right housing in the right place.”
Interested landowners can find the expressions of interest information and submission documents and requirements on the LDA website.