The Land Development Agency (LDA) launched its first report on the potential of state-owned land to deliver affordable and social housing into the future.

This figure is separate to the LDA’s existing near-term delivery pipeline, which already includes 5,000 affordable homes, either under construction or in design and planning, plus an additional 5,000 affordable purchase and cost rental homes through its Project Tosaigh initiative.

The report, the first-of-its-kind, is designed to serve as a guide for stakeholders to understand the potential for state-owned lands and to create a development pipeline of sites for affordable and social housing in the future.

The sites were chosen and have been assessed based on their potential ability to deliver affordable housing, facilitate the creation of new sustainable communities, and add to existing ones. All are state-owned and are either under the control of local authorities, other state bodies, or commercial semi-state companies.

According to the report much of the land involved is brownfield and located in existing urban centres in cities and towns with strong public transport links, suitable infrastructure, and other facilities nearby.

The LDA has advised that up to 9,760 of the potential homes identified in the report could be delivered in the next five to ten years, subject to the land involved being made available, due diligence and the planning process.

A further 17,440 homes are considered to have medium to long-term potential, while there are a further 39,710 long-term potential homes, bringing the total potential number of homes to 66,910.

All of the sites identified in the report are located in Dublin (38), Cork (14), Limerick (6), Galway (8) and Waterford (4) – and in five regional centres – Sligo (4), Letterkenny (2), Dundalk (4), Drogheda (1) and Athlone (2).

In total the lands assessed account for approximately 75% of all relevant public land identified nationally. Subsequent reports will examine the housing potential of state-owned sites in other relevant public land areas, of which there are currently 38.

Sites listed in the report include Conyngham Road Bus Depot and Sandyford Mint in Dublin; the ESB Networks premises on Sarsfield Road in Cork, land at Galway Harbour and the North Docks Bus Depot in Waterford.

Commenting on the report, Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien it was “a crucial part of the Government’s work to ensure a supply of affordable housing in areas where it is needed most.”