As Galway continues to grow, so too does the demand for housing. With rising property prices and an acute shortage of available homes, attention is turning to apartment living as a sustainable and efficient solution.
In particular, the redevelopment of brownfield sites – previously built-on land now sitting vacant or underutilised – is being championed as a key strategy to increase housing supply in the city.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin recently addressed the importance of stimulating apartment construction on brownfield sites, acknowledging that not enough redevelopment was currently taking place. He emphasised the role of both state intervention and private-sector investment in tackling this issue.
“The first point I would make is we do need more private sector investment,” said the Taoiseach. “We need to work on what is the optimum mechanisms and policy instruments we can use to bring more private sector investment into the building of apartments, particularly in brownfield sites.”
Apartment developments in urban centres offer numerous advantages. They maximise land use efficiency, reduce urban sprawl, and support a more sustainable lifestyle by placing residents within walking distance of amenities, employment, and public transport. Galway, with its vibrant city centre and increasing housing demand, is well-placed to benefit from such developments.
However, despite state support, progress has been slow. “I’ve heard a lot about brownfield sites and watched it over the last number of years, and essentially what’s happening now is the state is intervening in significant subsidisation,” Mr Martin noted. While government expenditure is being used to encourage redevelopment, the volume of new apartment builds remains below what is needed.
Galway has seen some successful brownfield regeneration projects in recent years, but challenges remain. Developers face high costs, complex planning processes, and market hesitancy. While Mr Martin declined to specify whether tax incentives would be introduced in the upcoming budget, he acknowledged that more action was needed. “We need more than existing policies to make sure that we can get real traction on brownfield sites because it’s not happening to the degree or at the volumes that we require,” he said.
With existing infrastructure, brownfield sites present a practical and environmentally friendly way to expand Galway’s housing stock. “It makes absolute sense from an environmental and from a climate perspective,” Mr Martin concluded. As the city looks to the future, increased apartment development on these sites may hold the key to addressing Galway’s housing crisis while promoting a more compact and sustainable urban environment.
