LIMERICK Chamber has warned that Limerick City is nearly 6,000 homes behind on housing delivery targets, falling drastically short of what is needed.
In a formal response to Limerick City and County Council’s proposed variation to the Limerick Development Plan 2022-2028, the Chamber have raised concerns about the plan’s ability to deliver homes.
The proposed plan suggests a capacity for 17,000 new homes, however according to independent analysis by Limerick Chamber, only 7,000 homes are realistically deliverable.
The submission follows Limerick Chamber’s recent backing of An Taisce Limerick’s call for greater clarity on stalled city centre residential development, a call both organisations feel is now more urgent than ever.
Recent data underscores that Limerick’s housing output remains deeply inadequate. Housing completions fell by a third in 2025, from 740 in 2024 to 493 in 2025, and first quarter completions in 2026 dropped by a further 19 per cent year-on-year, representing the third consecutive year of Q1 decline and a 31 per cent fall from Q1 2023.
The Chamber identified several constraints limiting the 17,000-home target, including delays on State-owned lands such as the Colbert Quarter, unserviced Tier 2 sites, and legal or infrastructural barriers on other plots.
Donnacha Hurley, CEO of Limerick Chamber, said that “housing is the single biggest challenge facing our member businesses. Without homes, we cannot attract or retain talent, and without talent, we cannot grow.”
“Under Limerick’s current rate of delivery, it would take 20 years to deliver the capacity stated under this plan. Even using the more realistic deliverable figure of 7,000 homes would take eight years to deliver this level of output. There is a clear signal that national policy is not yielding the results required.”
The Chamber also cautioned against an overly restrictive approach to flood zone lands.
Ahead of the variation of the Development Plan being adapted, Limerick Chamber has called on Limerick Council to adopt realistic site deliverability assessments and build in adequate buffer capacity and rezone appropriately serviced lands in and near the city.
The business representative body also called for a prioritising of the Greenpark lands for large-scale residential zoning, given their “proven delivery potential, existing ownership in occupation, and proximity to the city centre”.
The Chamber also asked for progress to be accelerated on State-owned sites including Colbert Quarter, and to publish a comprehensive Housing Delivery Action plan covering all tenures, not just social and affordable, with tangible delivery actions.