A FALL in housing delivery “is not a blip, it is a huge red flag”.
That was the word from Limerick Chamber, following reports of a 13 per cent fall in housing completions across the county, a counterpoint to accelerations in new builds in other Irish cities.
This comes as the Chamber backed calls from Mayor John Moran for an independent housing enquiry.
Mayor Moran said last week that he will seek cross-party collaboration to examine Limerick’s housing delivery and what can be done to speed it up.
This call is being echoed by the Chamber following the release of CSO data representing a 13 per cent year-on-year decline in housing completions across Limerick.
The figures show national housing completions increasing 20 per cent, with Dublin up 26 per cent, Galway up 20 per cent, and Cork recording five per cent growth.
Limerick, the Chamber noted, is the weakest-performing city in the State, with only Waterford also showing a decline – a far more modest two per cent decrease.
Seán Golden, Chief Economist and Director of Policy at Limerick Chamber, said the figures “are deeply alarming but continue to outline the long running trend of under delivery of housing in Limerick”.
“While other cities are accelerating housing delivery, Limerick is moving backwards. A 13 per cent fall is not a blip, it is a huge red flag.
“Without urgent and targeted action, Limerick will simply not be able to house its workforce, sustain inward investment, or meet the basic needs of a growing population,” Mr Golden added.
Out of the 31 local authority areas, the Limerick City and County Council area ranked 28th, or fourth from the bottom, in terms of the percentage change in 2025 versus 2024. Limerick was one of eight local authority areas to register a decline out of the 31 areas.
“As Ireland’s economy continues to expand and regional cities compete for investment, talent, and skills, Limerick’s downward trend represents a growing structural risk,” Mr Golden said.
The Chamber economist noted too a significant decrease of 43 per cent on the number of homes commenced in Limerick last year.
“One size fits all policy is clearly failing to boost housing supply in Limerick and there needs to be more targeted intervention from the State for both the direct build of housing and in policy support for the delivery of housing in Limerick,” Mr Golden explained.
He hit out at the Land Development Agency – with a direct delivery pipeline of over 1,300 homes between the Colbert Quarter, the former Gasworks site, and Mungret, with over 450 unites having received planning permission – for having delivered nothing to date on the massive projects.
“We do note the positive impact the LDA can have, having delivered 81 cost rental homes in Castletroy, but other developments need to be delivered much quicker and at a larger scale. Similarly, Limerick City and County Council have a development company in Limerick Twenty Thirty DAC that also have a pipeline of homes that need to be delivered much quicker and at a larger scale,” he said.
Limerick needs between 2,500 and 4,000 homes per year, he said, but saw just over 870 delivered in 2025. Currently, there is less than a year’s supply in the pipeline to cover the end of this estimate from the State.
“Businesses have been telling us for quite some time that housing availability is a critical constraint. If people cannot live here, companies will not locate here, and existing employers will struggle to expand and attract talent. The stark reality is that housing is now one of the single biggest threats to Limerick’s long-term competitiveness and social stability,” Mr Golden said.