Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 and 13 together.

As a key partner in the Government's delivery of affordable and social homes, the Land Development Agency is activating and securing the delivery of social and affordable homes in stalled planning consented developments, managing the State's own lands to develop new homes and partnering with local authorities to unlock delivery at scale on their lands. In the longer term, it will assemble strategic land banks from a mix of public and private lands, making these available for housing. Through Project Tosaigh, its market engagement initiative, the LDA has delivered more than 1,000 new homes of the targeted 8,000 to date. In total, more than 2,500 social, affordable purchase and cost-rental homes have either been delivered, contracted or are in the approved pipeline. This represents the commencement of a strong pipeline of delivery, which is ramping up significantly. The LDA is confident that it is on track to deliver 5,000 of these homes by 2026. The direct delivery pipeline on LDA land or in partnership with local authorities involves more than 10,000 homes with developments at various stages from design to nearing completion, with more being added as new lands become available or are acquired. Major progress has been made in bringing schemes through planning and approximately 6,000 of these homes now have planning permission.

The land at Columb Barracks in Mullingar is in the ownership of the Department of Defence, and it has the potential to deliver approximately 100 new homes. The Government agreed to transfer this site, together with 19 other sites, to the Land Development Agency under Housing for All. I understand that an advisory group was set up in 2021 to enable a better understanding of the complexities surrounding the site and its recent uses, as well as to provide an opportunity for key partners to collaborate and advise the LDA in developing a vision for the barracks site. A key part of the overall site is currently being used for temporary accommodation for Ukrainian temporary protection residents and other international protection applicants. I am informed that a meeting of key stakeholders, including Westmeath County Council and the Department of Defence, took place in early March to discuss the up-to-date position, the current potential for the site and the next steps. Following this, I expect the LDA to convene a meeting with the wider stakeholder advisory group shortly, with a focus on considering the range of uses for the site and a timeline for the transfer of the housing development on the site.

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