A large 450-home estate on the Kildare-Dublin border has been given the green light
The housing development is expected to be launched next year.
PERMISSION HAS BEEN granted for a major planning development near the Kildare-Dublin border.
Ardstone Homes will build some 450 homes on a site near the Wonderful Barn monument in Leixlip after it received permission for the project through the ‘Strategic Housing Development Scheme’.
The fast-track planning process allows developers building over 100 homes permission go straight to An Bord Pleanala for a ruling and bypass the local authority.
The system was designed to speed up the planning application process so more houses can be delivered to address the housing crisis.
The delivery of the homes will open up an additional 30 acres of amenity lands around the Wonderful Barn.
Ardstone’s Homes managing director Stephen Cassidy said that through working hand-in-hand with Kildare County Council, they have achieved a positive example of fast-track planning.
“We greatly welcome this new legislation which has given us the opportunity to rapidly deliver 450 new homes, each of which has been designed with a huge amount of attention to detail.
“We have collaborated with planners to create a vibrant and live-able community that at the end of the day our buyers can call home. Many of our customers are first-time buyers – we take pride in building a personal relationship to understand their needs.”
“We are also keen to open up the amazing amenity of the Wonderful Barn and surrounding lands to the community.”
The company stated that the housing development will be opened in 2019.
Crisis
The Strategic Housing Development Scheme was introduced last year in response to the Republic’s lack of available housing stock.
A number of developers have already successfully used the scheme to get permission to build. Earlier this month, a 500-plus development in north Dublin was also given the go-ahead after the developer applied straight to the national planning authority.
Ireland’s critical shortage housing has been labelled the country’s “most-pressing issue” and a problem that is harming competitiveness.
During 2017, the number of properties available for sale nationwide hit a “critical low” as house prices rose at the fastest pace in several years.
According to the Society of Chartered Surveys Ireland has previously predicted the housing crisis could last another 10 years.
Last month, Investec economist Philip O’Sullivan noted that 21,500 new homes are expected to be completed this year, with a further 24,000 in line for 2019.
However, he added that the current level of development is at least 10,000 units below the required level to keep up with demand.
Written by Paul Hosford and posted on TheJournal.ie. Additional reporting by Killian Woods.
