Land Development Agency homes in Cork City will not be ready until early 2025

Delay to delivery of 265 new homes earmarked for the former St Kevin’s Hospital site

The former St Kevin's Hospital site has been derelict for years and was gutted fire in 2017. Picture: Larry Cummins

The body set up five years ago to build homes on State-owned land has been criticised for the slow pace of delivery, after confirmation that its first direct-build homes in Cork City won’t be ready until early 2025.

The latest delay in the Land Development Agency’s (LDA) delivery timeline for the first of 265 new homes earmarked for the former St Kevin’s Hospital site on the Lee Road is contained in an update report for the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

The update lists 15 sites for "near- to medium-term" delivery of a potential 6,595 homes.

But it shows construction is under way on just three “active sites” and that the first homes will not be delivered in Dublin until the third quarter of next year — some five years after the LDA was established.

The first LDA homes in Cork, on the former St Kevin’s site, will not be delivered until the first quarter of 2025. Plans for 350 homes at an ESB-owned site in Wilton are only at design stage.

Image of the Land Development Agency's housing plan for the St Kevin's Hospital site in Shanakiel, Cork.

The agency said these were “milestone targets” and the timelines were subject to “considerable uncertainty” and would change due to planning risk, procurement timeframes, and other factors beyond its direct control.

Sinn Féin TD for Cork North Central Thomas Gould, who has been campaigning for years for the delivery of housing on the former St Kevin’s site, which was derelict for several years before it was gutted by fire in 2017, said the pace of delivery at this, and other LDA sites, is just not good enough.

“The pace of this is unbelievable given we’re in the worst housing crisis this State has ever seen,” he said.

We have a State agency established to build houses that has yet to build a single home.

“And people are screaming for houses. People need homes now.

“It’s all about delivery, but they are not delivering fast enough.” 

The LDA said it had 5,800 homes in the pipeline through direct delivery, with another 3,000 in the pipeline through Project Tosaigh.

“Assembling land, designing and planning developments, obtaining planning permission and building homes requires time and the LDA’s delivery timeline is in line with industry norms,” a spokesman said.

The LDA also pointed out a building contractor was being appointed to build out the Devoy Barracks site in Naas, Co Kildare, where 219 homes are planned, with construction due to start soon.

It said planning permission was granted last March for 817 homes in Balbriggan and for 345 homes in Skerries, in Dublin, with these sites now being advanced to construction stage.

Planning was also granted in June for 852 homes on the Central Mental Hospital site in Dundrum and for 543 homes at St Teresa’s Gardens — both described by the LDA as “landmark sites” — but the Dundrum decision is now the subject of a judicial review, with contractor pre-qualification starting soon for the St Teresa’s Gardens site.

Planning applications are due to be lodged soon for the Cherry Orchard and Cromcastle sites, and planning applications are being prepared for sites in Bluebell, Dyke Road and Kinsealy, which combined could deliver 800 homes.

The LDA is also in “advanced discussions” to acquire a site from Nama at Clongriffin, with capacity for about 2,300 homes.

LDA's near- to medium-term delivery sites

• 597 homes at Shanganagh, Shankhill, Co Dublin — first homes by Q3 2024; 
• 265 homes at St Kevin’s Hospital, Cork — first homes by Q1 2025;
• 219 homes at Devoy Barracks, Naas, Kildare — first homes by Q2 2025:
• 345 homes at Hacketstown, Skerries, Co Dublin — construction due to start in Q2 2024, delivery date to be confirmed; 
• 817 homes at Castlelands, Balbriggan, Co Dublin — construction due to start in Q2 2024, delivery date to be confirmed
• 852 homes at Dundrum Central Mental Hospital site — planning granted, subject to a judicial review;
• 543 homes at St Teresa’s Gardens, Co Dublin — planning granted, construction start date to be confirmed; 
• 408 homes in Clongriffin, in phases five and six — construction due in 2024, to be confirmed; 
• 708 homes in Cherry Orchard, Co Dublin — planning application before the end of this year, no construction start date yet;
• 146 homes at Cromcastle, Coolock, Co Dublin — planning application before the end of this year, no construction start date yet.