THE announcement of funding for five infrastructure projects in Limerick that will unlock land for 10,784 homes, both directly and indirectly, has received a warm welcome locally.
The projects to be funded in Limerick are part of a major multi-annual commitment to unlocking land and enabling the delivery of housing at scale.
Fianna Fáil TD and Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Niall Collins said that the projects in Limerick are aimed at developing the critical infrastructure needed to support housing development.
These include €10million for an Active Travel link connecting Mungret District Park to existing road, as well as €20m for transport, water, and utility infrastructure to service brownfield lands at Colbert Quarter for residential development.
A further €10-20m will support junction upgrades at Schoolhouse Road/Golf Links Road and Kilbane roundabout, with €10m at Toppin’s Field for infrastructure works and €10 -20m for the Colbert Quarter.
Minister Collins said the Mungret Active Travel link will unlock lands for 687 homes directly, and will indirectly unlock a further 1,800 residential units.
989 housing units at the Colbert Quarter will be directly unlocked.
On the Schoolhouse Road/Golf Links Road, lands for 1,109 homes will be directly unlocked.
550 units will be directly unlocked at Toppin’s Field, with a further 3,699 indirectly unlocked.
At the final Colbert Quarter site, 1,400 homes will be indirectly unlocked, and 600 directly.
“We need to increase housing supply to tackle the housing crisis. The Housing Activation Office can play a key role in this and I welcome that it is taking measures now to advance several key projects in Limerick, developing land suitable for housing and maximising our local capacity and unlocking as many homes in Limerick as possible,” Minister Collins commented.
“The projects in Limerick are aimed at developing the critical infrastructure needed to support housing development and will be supported by State funding to create additional capacity in local infrastructure networks, which will enable housing development across entire settlements indirectly, as well as the lands that directly benefit from the infrastructure investment.”
The programme will support 82 projects nationwide, with the potential to directly unlock approximately 86,000 housing units and indirectly unlock a further 113,000 units. In total, the projects have the potential to unlock up to 200,000 homes across the country through both direct and indirect impacts.
Funding for these projects will be provided through the Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund (HIIF). The €1billion fund was established by the Government this year and is administered by the new Housing Activation Office within the Department of Housing. The HIIF is the largest housing infrastructure fund announced in Ireland in many years.
Limerick City and County Council also welcomed the allocation of Housing Infrastructure Investment Funding (HIIF) that will enable the direct delivery of circa 3,800 homes – and provide the potential for more than 6,800 more homes – on key sites in Limerick.
Mayor John Moran considers the funding a significant vote of confidence in Limerick’s ambition and ability to deliver housing. He welcomed the Government’s support and said he looks forward to continuing their strong engagement to accelerate housing delivery and meet the needs of Limerick’s growing population.
“Since becoming Mayor, I have made it my priority to work closely with Government to ensure Limerick secures the investment needed to unlock new homes at scale. While that work continues, these important projects that have now been unlocked will remove key infrastructure barriers and create the conditions for development of thousands of homes for people in Limerick,” the Mayor concluded.