An Taoiseach Simon Harris and Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien have officially opened Shanaganagh Castle Estate, a joint project by the LDA and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, the largest public housing scheme in many years and LDA’s first direct delivery of homes on state-owned land. Residents will enjoy mountain and sea views, a host of nearby amenities, and proximity to public transport and the N11 and M50 motorways.
Simon Harris and Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien officially launched the first of the new homes at Shanganagh Castle Estate in Shankill, Co Dublin.
The new development, delivered by the Land Development Agency (LDA) and Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council (DLR), ahead of time and on budget, is the largest public housing project in years.
It is also the first of a pipeline of around 20 housing projects to be completed by the LDA on state-owned land. It follows the completion of well over a thousand homes from a series of partnerships with other housebuilders.
Shanganagh Castle
The Shanganagh Castle estate includes 597 high-quality houses and apartments, including affordable purchase, cost rentals, and social homes.
The new homes will be launched in phases. Phase one includes 51 affordable purchase houses, 195 cost rental apartments and 35 social apartments. Eligible buyers can apply to purchase the 51 houses on Wednesday, 09 October, while the application portal for the 195 cost rental apartments will open later this year.
The 51 affordable purchase houses include 21 two-bed and 30 three-bed homes. The 195 cost-rental apartments include 19 studios, 40 one-beds, 107 two-beds and 29 three-bed apartments. These will be made available alongside the social homes, which include 18 one-bed, eight two-bed, seven three-bed and two four-bed homes.
The remaining 316 homes, all of which are apartments, will be made available in two subsequent phases in 2025.
With the application of government supports through equity contributions, prices for the affordable purchase homes will start at €334,600 while rents for the cost rental apartments will start from €1,250.
The affordable purchase homes are being made available under the Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme, which enables eligible buyers to bridge the gap between the price of the house and the amount of personal funds and maximum mortgage available to them.
The scheme, jointly run by the LDA and DLR, involves a shared equity arrangement, which effectively lowers the upfront cost and enables DLR to hold an equity interest in the property until it is repaid or the house is sold.
Taoiseach Simon Harris and Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien launched the new housing development with Councillor Jim O’Leary, Cathaoirleach, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council; John Coleman, Chief Executive, LDA; Frank Curran, Chief Executive, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council; and Cormac O’Rourke, Chair, LDA.
Taoiseach Simon Harris said: “I am delighted to be in Shanganagh to launch this fantastic housing development and particularly pleased to see the mix of high-quality, affordable purchase, cost rental and social homes. The government is investing significantly in increasing the supply of affordable and social housing, and it’s great to see this funding is being used to deliver not just new housing but new facilities, amenities and, ultimately, new communities. As Taoiseach, housing is my number one priority, and the delivery of affordable housing developments on state land like this is a testament to what we can achieve. This new development is superbly located and completed to the highest construction and environmental standards. I would like to congratulate the LDA and DLR on what has been achieved here, and I look forward to visiting again to meet the new residents of Shanganagh Castle Estate.”
Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien said: “In November 2022, I had the pleasure of turning the sod on this momentous development. To be back here less than two years later, officially launching the first of the homes for sale, is just fantastic. To see what has been achieved in such a relatively short space of time is incredible. This is the first affordable housing development to be directly delivered by the LDA on state-owned land, and it will soon be followed by many others. The LDA has already delivered a series of top-quality, affordable homes by partnering with developers under Project Tosaigh, and considerable progress is now being made on state-owned sites, in partnership with DLR in this case. A greater supply of affordable housing is a key element of the government’s Housing for All plan, and delivery is ramping up significantly. I would like to congratulate both the LDA and DLR as well as everyone involved in making this new housing development a reality.”
Jim O’Leary, Cathaoirleach, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, said: “This is a great day for Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and the Shanganagh and Shankill areas. This is a high-quality estate that will soon too be home to a well-served new community. Residents will enjoy a super quality of life with excellent facilities and amenities nearby, including Shanganagh Park, Shankill and Bray villages, a planned new Dart station, beautiful beaches, stunning coastline and wonderful countryside. They will be part of a new community, but they will also enrich the wonderful existing communities in this area. I would like to thank the LDA for working in partnership with DLR on this project, and I would like to thank the Taoiseach Simon Harris and Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien for attending this wonderful occasion.”
John Coleman, Chief Executive, LDA, said: “Shanganagh Castle Estate is a highly significant development for the LDA. It’s the largest public housing project in recent years and our first affordable housing development to be directly delivered on state-owned land. It’s also a great example of the LDA’s expertise, our design standards and our vision. Working closely with our partners DLRCC and our contractors, Walls Construction, we have been able to complete the first of 597 homes in just under two years of active construction. We are extremely pleased to be making these new homes available at affordable prices for buyers and affordable rates for renters. This is a major achievement for the LDA, but it is just one of a growing number of affordable housing developments we are working on. I would like to thank the government for ensuring we are adequately funded to invest in such high-quality projects, and given the significance of today, I would like to thank the staff of the LDA. Their hard work and commitment got us to this point and will continue to ensure we deliver on our important remit.”
Frank Curran, Chief Executive, Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, said: “This site was originally purchased by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council for the development of housing, and a Local Area Plan was developed by DLR to support the strategic development of the Shanganagh/Woodbrook area. A concept design was advanced by DLR Architects, followed by a partnership with the LDA.
“The development will be the largest residential scheme certified to achieve the ‘passive house’ low energy use standard, which has significantly lower energy consumption and associated heating costs compared to other new builds. Sustainability features include very low energy demand, low car parking provision (0.54 spaces per home), high bicycle parking provision of over 1,300 spaces, and design features to make working from home easier.
“Shanganagh Castle Estate is a fantastic new housing development with a great mix of affordable purchase, cost rental and social homes. The estate is located in a wonderful area with an array of amenities, facilities and services nearby. We would like to thank the LDA for partnering with us to deliver Shanganagh Castle Estate. I would like to advise those seeking to purchase or rent one of the new homes to visit the website and to familiarise themselves with the eligibility criteria and application process.”