Latest news with #DúnLaoghaire-RathdownCountyCouncil
Irish Independent
28-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
State's affordable housing body to deliver 328 new homes in South Dublin
The new apartments are located close to the award winning Shanganagh Castle Estate, where 597 new affordable purchase, cost rental and social homes have been developed by the LDA in partnership with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. The new homes are being built in partnership with developer Castlethorn, through the LDA's 'Project Tosaigh' initiative. Project Tosaigh aims to provide a fair deal to renters struggling to pay private sector rents by unlocking land with full planning permission that is not being developed by private sector owners. It is a means to accelerate the supply of affordable housing, and the completed homes are then owned by the LDA and made available as cost rental, or sold by the LDA in partnership with local authorities through affordable purchase schemes. In Shankill, all of the 328 Woodbrook apartments will be made available as cost rental. This provides a secure, long term rental option with rents at least 25pc below market rates. Cost rental is designed to assist those who do not quality for social housing or other state housing supports, but who are struggling to afford to rent in the private market. The apartments are part of Castlethorn's Woodbrook development, which includes 685 homes and has the potential to deliver an additional 500 homes. The development will also feature excellent amenities including a creche, a primary school and neighbour centre, helping to create a vibrant and well-serviced community. The development will comprise two blocks over six storeys and are due to be completed by 2026. They are located beside Woodbrook Golf Club, featuring views of the course and the Dublin's coastline. They will also be in easy reach of the new Woodbrook Dart station, which is due to open this summer. In addition to Dart services, the area is located between Shankill and Bray, on a main bus route with easy access to the M11 and M50. Commenting on the plans, the chief executive of the LDA, John Coleman, said: 'This is a very welcome partnership between the LDA and Castlethorn. We are forward funding the development of 328 new cost rental homes in a prime location with excellent transport links, local amenities and facilities. "This is a highly accessible and attractive location for renters, and we are pleased to be working with an experienced delivery partner in Castlethorn to bring these homes to market by the end of 2026. These new homes will play an important role in addressing demand for affordable, secure rental accommodation in south Dublin.' Meanwhile, Castlethorn CEO Joe O'Reilly, said 'the proximity to the new Dart station, high-quality design, and inclusion of community facilities make this a highly attractive offering'. "We look forward to delivering these sustainable A-rated homes and helping to establish a new community that will thrive for generations to come,' he added.
Irish Times
20-05-2025
- Irish Times
Eamon Ryan: Why has it taken so long to develop a greenway for Dublin Bay?
For more than 30 years, people have been campaigning for a safe walking and cycling route around Dublin Bay. It could transform our city, connecting northside and southside and restore the environment I grew up in, where children were much more free to wander and explore. It has been championed by many organisations and has a variety of names: the Sutton to Sandycove cycleway, the Coastal Trail or Dublin Bay Greenway. But its history tells a sad story of a lack of political will that is stopping us from fulfilling the true potential of our city. I remember in the mid 1990s heading out to Bull Island on a protest cycle organised by the Dublin Cycling Campaign. We were full of hope, only to be frustrated when a local resident opposing the plans had the ear of an influential councillor, and progress was delayed for years. Now the northside section is introduced, I don't think a single person would want us to go back. Around the same time, we argued with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to compulsory purchase a sliver of land beside Blackrock Dart station to remove one of the worst bottlenecks on the route. We were told it would take too long, and asked to be patient and allow an alternative approach to see the light of day. We are still waiting for that to this day. READ MORE Fifteen years ago, things changed for the better when, despite budgetary hard times, money was allocated for the first proper greenway between Newport and Achill. It was built quickly and at low cost because local people wanted their children to be able to meet their neighbours without having to navigate the dangerous main road. A few years later, the 46km Waterford greenway became a similar success story and every council started to consider what might be possible. Under the last government, they were allocated the staff and funding to develop their plans. Transport Infrastructure Ireland was given the responsibility of connecting up a national greenway network, and the National Transport Authority had the key role of approving projects and allocating budgets. Their orders were to prioritise local needs, deliver at speed and avoid over-engineering solutions in order to keep costs down. During Covid, the best example came when the mix of a visionary community group, an enthusiastic council and a great local authority official built out the coastal cycle route between Blackrock and Sandycove. They did it in record time and at minimal cost, transforming Dún Laoghaire for the better. It would make you cry. Half a century to deliver a three-metre track along the 22km it takes to get around the bay However, things fell back again when Dublin City Council tried to emulate the same approach in Sandymount, only for the High Court to stop the trial. What made it worse was the chilling effect the decision had in every council across the country and that it took four years for the Court of Appeal to reverse the judicial decision in April. At last, it seemed that the Strand Road section was ready to be built. With Dublin Port also promising a safe route from Clontarf to the East link bridge by next year, an end-to-end Dublin Bay Greenway finally seemed to be at hand. However during the interim period, some Dublin City Councillors appear to have lost their nerve. They and some residents are arguing we should await the introduction of flood protection works before building the cycle path, which will likely delay things for another 20 years. It would make you cry. Half a century to deliver a three-metre track along the 22km it takes to get around the bay – and all that delay because our political system is so attentive to local opposition, while the silent majority opinion that wants change remains by its very nature unheard. Public officials and regulators read the political temperature in a similar way and hold back on making hard decisions. Whatever you do, do nothing, becomes the order of the day. But what happened in Dún Laoghaire shows what is possible. The Dublin authorities are starting to deliver other game changing pathfinder projects and slowly but surely are improving things along the canals, Liffey, Tolka and Dodder. By joining up these various initiatives, we can reach a tipping point where Dublin once again becomes a great city to cycle and walk around and the perfect place to raise a child and call your home. Recent developments in Limerick, where a cycleway will connect the three universities, and on the Waterford Quay – where a sustainable transport bridge is about to be installed, which will link the existing greenway to the Waterford to New Ross greenway – give similar cause for hope. But you cannot force local authorities to make the necessary decisions. However, greater targeting of the active travel budget can change political dynamics. Those councils willing to build with ambition, speed and low-cost solutions should get most of the funding. Those who don't should be asked to come up with more ambitious greenway plans and a plan to make it happen quickly.
The Journal
12-05-2025
- Business
- The Journal
Dublin is set to get a watersports campus at Dún Laoghaire Harbour
THE FIRST STEP in a long path to develop a watersports campus in Dublin was approved today after contracts with companies in charge of designing and securing planning for the facility were signed. Dún Laoghaire Harbour will be the home to the space, which will serve as the hub for all watersports in Ireland and host world events. The design and architecture group Reddy A+U has been awarded the contract. Advertisement Under the current plans, a high-performance sailing facility, a new launching platform and events slipway, an office block and training building will make up part of the campus located near the pier in south Dublin. Reddy A+U, along with contracting partners, will get underway to design the look and layout of the campus and the project has been awarded with €852,000 in public funding through large-scale infrastructure schemes. The National Watersports Campus is a collaborative project between Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Irish Sailing, Diving Ireland, and the Dún Laoghaire Harbour Waterfront community. Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Jim O'Leary and chief executive Frank Curran have welcomed the project, which they both hope will help with the promotion of watersports. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Dublin Live
12-05-2025
- Business
- Dublin Live
Work begins to create Dun Laoghaire Harbour watersports campus
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Work to design and plan a national watersports campus in Dun Laoghaire has begun. Contracts to begin the process of creating the new Dun Laoghaire harbour project have been signed by DLR County Council. It is intended that the project will become the hub for watersports in all of Ireland. The National Watersports Campus will serve as the home for watersports national governing bodies, the center for marine leisure in Ireland, and a world-class event venue. According to DLRCC, the vision is for Dún Laoghaire Harbour to become a premier destination for watersports offering a wide range of facilities to the community Cllr Jim O'Leary, Cathaoirleach, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council said: 'Dún Laoghaire Harbour already has much of the infrastructure and activities required for the development of a National Watersports Campus. This project proposes integrating the existing facilities and targeting additional infrastructural investment to improve and develop additional facilities as well as a high-performance centre to support young watersports athletes to compete internationally.' Frank Curran, Chief Executive, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council said: 'We are thrilled to be working with the design team to bring this project to life. The National Watersports Campus Project will not only benefit the local community but also provide a world-class venue for watersports enthusiasts and athletes. We look forward to the positive impact it will have on the watersports community in the area." The project has been awarded €852,845 funding through the Large-Scale Sports Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) as administered by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport, and Media and co-funded by Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, Irish Sailing and the Dún Laoghaire Harbour watersports community Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice . For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.
Irish Independent
07-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
640 house hunters apply for just 30 affordable homes in south Dublin estate
However, by the time the window for applications closed on Tuesday, April 29, a staggering 640 applications were received. Unlike the neighbouring Shanganagh development – the Land Development Agency's (LDA) flagship project and the State's largest public housing scheme rolled out alongside Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council – the 30 homes at Woodbrook in Shankill were delivered solely on council-owned land in conjunction with the developer, Castlethorn. More than 2,000 people in the north Wicklow and south Dublin region threw their names in the hat for what was effectively a lottery process for just 195 cost-rental homes at Shanganagh Castle, just before Christmas last year, and it was only to be expected that Woodbrook would attract a huge number of applicants. Woodbrook comprises some 685 three, four and five-bedroom houses, and a wide range of apartments and duplex homes in a variety of layouts. The 30 three-bed homes are reduced by some 40pc of their market value, with 17 houses available for €336,000 (value €560,000); four larger homes for €378,000 (value €630,000); and nine further homes for €393,000 (value €655,000). The affordable purchase price is calculated by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council based on the 'purchasing power' of eligible applicants. This takes into account applicants' maximum mortgage capacity and the minimum price set for the home by the council. The applicant's purchasing power must not exceed 80pc of the market value of the property and is worked out as a combined total of: Maximum mortgage capacity, i.e. four times gross household income; a minimum deposit of 10pc of the affordable purchase price; relevant savings (if you have savings above a certain amount, you may not qualify for the scheme, but you can have the money to cover the deposit on the home and an additional €30,000). The Affordable Housing Fund is there to make homes available at a reduced price for buyers who are seeking to buy a newly built home but need to bridge the gap between their mortgage and deposit to cover the full price of the home, in other words, if, like so many, they cannot afford the home at its open market value. The scheme provides buyers with what is known as an equity facility. This means buyers will enter into an 'Affordable Dwelling Purchase Agreement' with the council and will receive funds in return for the council taking a percentage ownership in the property purchased. The percentage ownership held in the home is known as an equity share. The buyer can then redeem or 'buy out' this equity share at a time of their choosing, but there is no obligation to do so. If the buyer chooses not to redeem the equity share while living in the home, the Council can do so when the property is sold, transferred, or after the death of the owner. ADVERTISEMENT The scheme is targeted at first time buyers and each person included in the application must have the right to reside legally in the country. The popular development is located within the long-established Woodbrook Golf Club, and will feature an on-site creche, primary school and neighbourhood centre. Shankill village is just a short stroll away, and one of the big bonuses for residents will be the new, dedicated Woodbrook Dart station, which is scheduled to open later this year.
