Across Galway, 7,200 houses and apartments will be directly serviced by these projects, with potential for a further 9,700 homes – mostly in the city. These locations were applied for by Galway’s city and county councils.
Oranmore TD, Minister Hildegarde Naughton, and Galway East TD, Minister of State Sean Canney, confirmed allocations across the county this week, under the government’s €1 billion Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund (HIIF ).
In Galway West, five investments will unlock lands for residential development in Barna and Claregalway, and in the city in Ardaun, Castlegar, and on Sandy Road.
In Galway East, lands in Tuam, Gort and two investments in Athenry will service land zoned residential.
At Ardaun, Irish Water will deliver a project to enable the provision of mains supply at a cost of approximately €10 million. This will directly unlock 2,500 residential units and indirectly another 5,000.
New road layout including extra junctions at Castlegar, and undergrounding ESB cabling is designed to unlock lands for 578 residential units, and indirectly a further 500. The cost is estimated to be between €10 and €20 million.
Costing less than €10 million, a realignment of Sandy Road with the junction to Sean Mulvoy Road will improve access to the city’s Sandy Quarter development. This is hoped to directly facilitate 550 new residential units and indirectly another 3,699.
The western section of the Barna bypass will also receive funding of less than €10 million. Junction upgrades and improved pedestrian facilities will facilitate 800 residential units.
In Claregalway, a new road junction serving land zoned for 600 units will receive funding for an indicative cost of €10 million.
For Gort, a sub-€10 million allocation will upgrade George Street, and directly unlock land for 234 homes homes while indirectly facilitating a further 525 homes through wider infrastructure benefits.
In Tuam, a proposed signalised junction for Sun Street, should come in below €10 million. This road and pedestrian crossing project will directly unlock lands capable of delivering approximately 400 homes.
Athenry has been allocated infrastructure funding between €10 and €20 million. The construction of a new link road and bridge crossing from the Northern Relief Road will directly unlock lands for approximately 800 residential units. A reinstatement of the Raheen Road with footpaths, and upgrades to its foul and storm sewer network, should will directly unlock lands for a further 800 homes.
Naughton, the Minister for Education and Youth, said she was pleased to announce the first phase of HIIF monies for Galway.
“This is the largest housing infrastructure fund announced in Ireland for many years and forms part of a broader suite of land activation measures included in the plan to support the Government’s housing targets,” she said.
“We all know how imperative it is to increase housing stock and one of the main barriers to this in recent years has been the lack of infrastructure in place. The Government’s new fund will now ensure such bottlenecks are removed,” she said.
Canney, Minister of State for International and Road Transport, Logistics, Rail and Ports, said HIIF projects have the potential to directly unlock approximately 86,000 homes and indirectly support a further 113,000 homes through wider infrastructure benefits across the country.
“Importantly, these projects will work alongside major investment already planned by Uisce Éireann, ESB Networks and other infrastructure providers to ensure that housing, water, energy and transport infrastructure are developed in a coordinated way,” he said.
John Coleman, chief executive of the Land Development Agency, also welcomed the funding. He said HIIF monies would assist its plans in Galway for the new Sandy Road Quarter, and that without road improvements, especially for pedestrians, the LDA’s planning application for residential development cannot be progressed, he said.
Minister of State Noel Grealish called on Galway city and county councils to help expedite housing delivery on newly unlocked lands.
“Having identified potential areas for development throughout the country, the Housing Activation Office will coordinate the multi-agency investment required at all levels, working with the likes of Uisce Éireann and ESB Networks, to ensure that complementary investment is provided and that lands are fully serviced and ready to deliver housing,” he said.
These projects across Galway are likely to be closely watched locally, in the context of housing demand, proposed variations to local authority development plans, and wider questions around the future growth of Galway city if a ring road unlocks more land for future expansion, including residential neighbourhoods..
