LDA’s direct delivery pipeline is maturing as unit output is set to triple in 2026
Phelim O’Neill, Director of Development, Land Development Agency, speaks with ROBBIE COUSINS about the agency’s significant achievements to date, explaining how its strategic interventions are maintaining vital construction skill sets, and outlining a future defined by dramatic increases in direct delivery and transformative placemaking.
With a headcount of over 250 and continued growth expected into 2026 and 2027, the LDA is firmly established as an essential component of the national housing strategy, dedicated to expediting the delivery of quality, affordable homes and creating the next generation of sustainable Irish communities.
For Phelim O’Neill, the message is clear: the Land Development Agency (LDA) has moved past the foundational phase and has now entered a period of substantial, visible delivery. He offers a compelling view of the state’s affordable housing delivery body. Since its formal establishment as a commercial state company in March 2022, following the passage of the Land Development Agency Act 2021, the LDA has been transitioning from an interim body to a crucial, high-impact force in the Irish housing market. Its core mandate is not just about building houses; it is about leveraging public land for housing, assembling strategic landbanks, and fundamentally reshaping how sustainable, mixed-tenure communities are created across the nation.
THE FRUITS OF LDA LABOUR
According to Phelim O’Neill, “From a 2025 perspective, we’ve been active on sites for quite a while now. The development life cycle of any project is about five to six years. So we’re now seeing the fruits of much of that labour. The cumulative effort over the past few years is beginning to translate into tangible results on the ground, marking a pivotal moment in the agency’s trajectory.
The figures for 2025 demonstrate a significant uptick in completed units. Between its Project Tosaigh initiative — which partners with homebuilders to acquire and accelerate the delivery of private homes as affordable housing—and Direct Delivery on State-owned land, the agency expects to deliver “well over 800 units this year”. This figure is projected to be split approximately 50-50 between the two delivery channels, Project Tosaigh and Direct Delivery.
More impressively, the LDA’s cumulative delivery will reach a total of nearly 3,000 units by the end of 2025. This momentum is set to accelerate sharply next year, with O’Neill expecting over 2,400 units to be delivered in 2026 alone. This surge in output signals that the large-scale projects, which take years to plan and commence, are now reaching completion phase.
The forward-looking trend points towards a significant shift in the delivery mix. While Project Tosaigh was originally conceived to deliver 8,000 units by 2028 and remains vital, he states that the future trend will be “much more toward direct delivery.”
This indicates that the LDA’s own pipeline of projects on public land is maturing, allowing the agency to strategically reduce reliance on purchasing units through the Project Tosaigh fund as more of its own schemes come online.
SUPPORTING THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR: RETAINING VITAL SKILLS
The LDA’s strategic function extends beyond simply increasing the housing stock; it plays a critical, stabilising role for the broader construction ecosystem. The recent slowdown, or “almost stopping,” of large-scale Private Rental Sector (PRS) projects posed a serious threat to the skills and capacity of the construction industry, particularly in apartment delivery.
Phelim O’Neill is emphatic that the LDA’s large projects have been instrumental in preventing a significant loss of expertise. The agency’s continuous activity has effectively “kept developer teams together, and it has also kept contractor teams together.”
This intervention ensures that the specialised skillset required for complex, high-density apartment construction is “retained within the industry” for when the private PRS market eventually recovers.
This capacity-maintenance role is complemented by the LDA’s commitment to working with a diverse range of partners. In looking for developing partners, the LDA is actively engaging with the medium-sized contractor and developer market, classifying Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as those employing 50 to 250 people—a category that includes almost everyone “bar the PLCs. We engage with the industry, through the Construction Industry Federation (CIF), for example, to understand what the key drivers are for contractors.
“For every scheme that we get to market, we do a pre-engagement session to understand what criteria contractors would work within. Because if we put out a proposal that doesn’t suit contractors, we don’t get tenders.
“We listen, we adjust our requirements to suit their needs because what we want is competitive tension. And every scheme is delivered in a bespoke manner.”
The agency has schemes underway with developers in locations like Balbriggan and Skerries, and over half of its six current tender schemes are being progressed through this developer model. This approach is strategic: it taps into existing capacity within the sector while maintaining a focus on larger schemes for maximum impact. He explains: “Our preference is to facilitate 500 units over 50 units when deploying internal teams, ensuring the best bang for our buck and that we focus on impactful, large-scale delivery.”
THE INNOVATION IMPERATIVE: STANDARDISATION AND SUSTAINABILITY
Innovation, particularly in construction methods and design, has been a hallmark of the LDA’s strategy. Phelim O’Neill highlights the agency’s apartment typology work as the “best example” of its impact.
“The LDA has published standardised apartment designs optimised for Modern Methods of Construction (MMC). This standardisation is deemed the “critical first step” in driving efficiency and cost-effectiveness.”
This initiative is already yielding results. The consistency in unit types makes it significantly easier for the MMC manufacturing industry to produce more sustainable and cost-effective elements that can be incorporated across all LDA projects, and increasingly, those in the private sector.
He adds, “For all levels of efficiencies that we’ve brought forward, standardisation is the critical first step. So now we’ve got to a stage where the LDA typologies are being rolled out by private sector developers.”
Furthermore, the LDA is deeply invested in innovation in the sustainability space. Recognising that many new building systems available in Ireland have not been tested at scale, the agency has become a patron member of Construct Innovate. This collaboration facilitates the collection of real-time data through life cycle analysis of deployed buildings, directly informing future design decisions.
O’Neill stresses that this is about more than just immediate performance; it’s about a comprehensive understanding of building life cycle and costings.
“This involves evaluating elements that may work well initially but prove expensive to replace down the line. We are committed to “learning the lessons and trying not to make a mistake twice, an approach that is underpinned by a robust sustainability strategy that prioritises evidence-based decision-making.”
KEY PROJECTS AND TRANSFORMATIVE PLACEMAKING
The LDA’s portfolio includes some of the most significant housing projects underway in the country, demonstrating its capacity for delivering complex, large-scale developments and entire new urban districts.
Two major Dublin projects currently on site include:
– Donore Project, St Teresa’s Gardens, Dublin: A partnership with Dublin City Council (DCC) making “exceptionally good progress,” with nearly 550 homes expected to come on stream towards the end of the following year.
– Cherry Orchard Point: A very large partnership development with DCC adjacent to Parkwest train station, slated to deliver over 1,000 units, which is expected to be “very transformative for the area.
In terms of strategic land acquisition, the recent purchase of lands in Clongriffin and Baldoyle is hugely significant. Located on either side of the Clongriffin train station, this landbank provides capacity for nearly 4,000 new homes. The LDA is creating an entirely new area that could house over 10,000 people over the next five to six years.
This large-scale development brings the concept of Placemaking to the fore. O’Neill is clear that the LDA’s approach is not simply about building homes but ensuring a holistic, sustainable environment.
“A huge effort is being put into creating sustainable town centres on these larger projects with the necessary community, social, and commercial facilities to meet residents’ needs.”
The LDA is actively addressing the proven failure of “mono tenure schemes,” whether private or public.
On large landbanks like Clongriffin, the opportunity exists to create mixed-tenure communities, blending cost rental and social homes with affordable purchase apartments. The agency recently brought 40 affordable purchase apartments to the market in Shanganagh, Shankill, in partnership with Dun Laoghaire- Rathdown County Council, which saw “huge interest” due to government subventions.
He comments, “This indicates a positive shift towards apartments being not just for rent, but a viable option for purchase, providing a real anchor to the community in these new areas.”
REGIONAL ACTIVATION AND MULTI-ANNUAL STABILITY
While major Dublin projects dominate headlines, the LDA is highly active across all the regional cities, a commitment that is set to deepen under the new government plan, ‘Delivering Homes, Building Communities: An Action Plan on Housing Supply and Targeting Homelessness’.
“We are in partnership with Clarendon on Horgan’s Quay through Project Tosaigh and Glenveagh in the Marina Quarter. We’re out to tender on the ESB Wilton site, and we’re after purchasing the Bord na Mona site in the Cork docklands. We have a partnership with Cork City Council to resource and operate the Docklands Delivery Office, and we are currently working on several other projects in the background.
In Limerick, we have submitted planning for the old Gas Network Ireland site on the Dock Road. This is for about 250 units. We are in partnership with the city council in Mungret to deliver affordable for sale homes.
“We’ve delivered units in Castletroy through Project Tosaigh, and we are progressing the infrastructure master plan for the brownfield mixed-use site of over 50 hectares at the Colbert Station area of Limerick City with the city council, CIE, and the HSE.
In Galway, we have 350 units on site in Crown Square with JJ Rhatigan through Project Tosaigh. We have just received planning in partnership with Galway City Council on the Dyke Road, and we’ve lodged a very nice scheme in the port for 350 apartments.”
Phelim O Neill says the government’s Delivering Homes, Building Communities plan is a huge endorsement for the LDA team, providing the multi-annual stability necessary to continue its work.
“Critically, the plan calls out the importance of land acquisition, an area where we continue to have great success, securing key sites in Clongriffin, Baldoyle, Bluebell, Cherrywood, and Cookstown, Tallaght. These acquisitions are vital, ensuring the raw material – the land that we purchase – gives us a strong pipeline, which in turn gives us long-term sustainability to deliver projects.”
FOCUS ON IMPLEMENTABLE MASTERPLANS
The LDA’s approach to large land banks is defined by an emphasis on implementability. The agency has a land activation division focused on masterplans and framework plans. Phelim O Neill explains that the fundamental difference in the LDA’s approach is a determination to avoid plans that “sit on a shelf unutilised”.
“When the LDA creates a plan, we are conscious that it has to be implementable, and we are always moving towards the first shovel-ready phase, whether that is for infrastructure or a building project.”
A prime example of this is the acquisition of the very large landbank around the planned Metro terminal station in Lissenhall, just north of Swords.
“This site has the potential to deliver a new town. The focus is on ensuring that civil and social infrastructure is prioritised. Schools and healthcare first, followed by public transport with the Metro North. The goal is to ensure that when people move in, they have a functioning, vibrant place from day one. The delivery of schemes will be aligned with the Metro North schedule, with the expectation of a very active delivery programme in the next five to seven years, aligned with the “first Metro carriage pulling in at the station.”
The transfer of public lands to the LDA has been a significant success, allowing the delivery of schemes like the affordable for sale homes in Naas at the old Devoy Barracks. The most high-profile recent public land deal involves Horse Racing Ireland at Leopardstown, where a collaborative relationship is progressing with a site masterplan.
METRICS AND LESSONS LEARNED: THE JUDICIAL REVIEW WINDOW
Phelim O Neill points out that the two core metrics by which the LDA “live and die” are home delivery and the granting of an implementable permission. The planning process, in particular, has necessitated a significant shift in operational strategy.
He highlights the criticality of the Judicial Review (JR) window. “Project planning cannot properly start until the 10 or 11 weeks following the final grant of permission have passed. Only once through this JR window can the agency start to programme with certainty and control the subsequent timeline.”
He adds, “Crucially, we now perform internal legal reviews to ensure all submissions are robust and will stand up to the ever-increasing scrutiny of the planning process.”
The LDA’s ability to successfully navigate this landscape is also based on a highly collaborative approach and a focus on robustness. Phelim O’Neill explains that the agency maintains monthly engagements with infrastructure providers, such as Uisce Éireann, ESB Networks and transport providers to ensure balance and prevent “clangers that come out of left field”.
“This is a two-way communication, allowing us to understand constraints— for example, a provider’s inability to service an entire site in the first phase — which then informs our planning strategy.”
The agency is also highly responsive to the market, employing an “horses for courses” approach to contracting. It has successfully used Design & Build and employer-led contracts, and critically, has leveraged the Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) model on the Donore project in Dublin with John Paul Construction.
“This collaborative ECI approach has delivered efficiencies in both programme and cost by leveraging the main contractor’s skill set early in the process.”
A CALL TO DISRUPTORS
Phelim O’Neill’s final message to the market is an open invitation to bring forward innovative approaches that will help the LDA achieve its goals: “Our focus is on the delivery of quality homes, and expediting the delivery of quality homes at an affordable price. If there are people out there who have ideas on how that can be done in compliance with public procurement, we want to speak with them. We’re looking to expedite our delivery ambitions. We’ve proven through our delivery channels such as Project Tosaigh, development partnerships and through different contracting channels, that we listen to the market, we hear what it has to say, and we try to put out balanced, fair competitions for scheme-specific needs.”
IN CONCLUSION
As the LDA decisively moves into its phase of substantial, visible delivery, evidenced by a dramatic increase in projected output for 2026 and the maturation of its Direct Delivery pipeline, the agency is fulfilling its mandate to be a crucial force for stability and innovation in the Irish housing market.
The LDA is now not only tackling the housing supply challenge through strategic land acquisition and rigorous, legally robust planning processes, but is fundamentally focused on creating sustainable, mixed-tenure places where communities can thrive from day one. With a growing team and the firm endorsement of the government’s multi-annual plan, the LDA is positioned not merely as a state developer, but as a key national partner, listening intently to the market and leveraging both collaboration and standardised innovation to secure the long-term future of quality, affordable homebuilding across Ireland’s cities and regions.