A TOTAL OF 34 strategic infrastructure projects across 15 local authorities have been given the green light by Government, it was announced today.

The projects will cost a total of €226 million with the Government hoping they will result in 23,000 additional homes being delivered by 2021.

The projects are aimed at delivering vital infrastructure to areas which would allow homes to be built there, and will be financed by the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (LIHAF).

As part of the Government’s Housing Action Plan, €150 million was to be released by the Exchequer to finance these type of projects (with local authorities providing €50 million themselves).

Local authorities had to submit proposals for projects in their area, with the successful 34 projects announced today by Simon Coveney, Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, and Paschal Donohoe, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

The vast majority of the housing to be delivered will come from the private sector; however, Coveney said today that “at least 10%” of the housing built will be used for social housing under planning laws.

This means a minimum of 2,300 additional social housing units will come from the €226 million of funding.

Bridges, new or upgraded roads, parks, sewer works, community facilities and roundabouts are among the types of projects financed by the fund.

In total, 14,000 of the proposed new homes the be built as a result of these projects will be in Dublin, with 3,000 being built in Cork.

Some of the projects and fund allocations include:

Dodder Bridge (€15.75 million)

The Dodder Bridge in Dublin will be a public transport bridge linking Britain Quay on the South Quays with York Road and the Poolbeg peninsula close to the Tom Clarke Bridge at Ringsend.

This will make the Poolbeg Peninsula more accessible to the rest of the city. The peninsula is in the process of being a designated a Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) for building on.

The expected area where the public transport bridge will be built. Source: Google Maps

With the bridge built, and proper public transport supplied to the area, the Housing Department states that 3,000 new accommodation units could be built (1,500 by 2021).

The entire infrastructure project will cost an estimated €31.5 million, with half of this being provided by the LIHAF and the other half by the Department of Transport.

Cherrywood (€15.9 million)

The major urban housing development site of Cherrywood in south Dublin will see money committed to revamping its roads.

Infrastructure projects are centred around the construction of the Druid’s Glen Road and bridge which will improve access to the area.

The Housing Department states that LIHAF funding will contribute to the provision of 2,000 units by 2021. There are plans for an additional 6,000 also to be built in the area as part of SDZ masterplan.

Donabate Distributor Road (€15.5 million)

This will see the construction of a road and a bridge over the Dublin to Belfast railway line in the north of Dublin.

The construction of the bridge will see increased road network capacity in the area and allow for land to be developed there.

It is expected that 1,200 units will be built in the area as a result by 2021.

A full list of the different projects is below:

Source: Housing Department

(You can find a detailed list of all the projects here)

Deadlines

Speaking today, Coveney said that the releasing funds to local authorities was contingent on the authorities following through with the projects so that houses could be built in the allotted timeline.

“It’s really important that if we allocate money for infrastructure to deliver houses that it’s actually happening on the ground,” he said.

And that is why we’ve asked each local authority to put in place a manager to specifically manage these projects to get them delivering on time and fulfilling the promises that have been assessed through the assessment process.

Coveney also advised local authorities who had been unsuccessful in their proposals that he would be applying for additional funding in the future for more projects.