The first new homes in one of the State's largest ever public housing projects will be officially opened on Friday by the Taoiseach and Minister for Housing.
Shanganagh Castle Estate in Shankill, Co Dublin, was delivered by the Land Development Agency (LDA) and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council (DLR).
It is the first of a pipeline of about 20 housing projects to be completed by the LDA on State-owned land and follows the completion of well over 1,000 homes from a series of partnerships with other housebuilders.
The estate has a total of 597 houses and apartments, including affordable purchase, cost rental 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 October 9th, 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 support 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.
Intending purchasers of the affordable homes can apply online from 12pm on Wednesday, October 9th.
Taoiseach Simon Harris said he was pleased to see the project delivering new facilities, amenities and 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."
Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien said it was fantastic to see the first of the homes for sale.
"To see what has been achieved in such a relatively short space of time is incredible," he said. "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."
Jim O’Leary, cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, said it was a great day for Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and for the local areas.
"This is a high-quality estate that will soon to be home to well-served new community," he said.
"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."
John Coleman, chief executive of the LDA, highlighted that Shanganagh Castle was the largest public housing project in recent years and the LDA's first affordable housing development to be directly delivered on State-owned land.
"We are extremely pleased to be making these new homes available at affordable prices for buyers and affordable rates for renters," he said.
