SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY council (SDCC) has agreed a joint development plan for 975 homes at Kilcarbery in Clondalkin. 

The mixed development will see 30% of the project set aside for social housing at 294 units. 

The local authority said in a statement the development of the 72 acre council owned site is, “the first of its kind envisaged as part of the major urban sites initiative” under the government’s Rebuilding Ireland plan.

At this stage €500,000 has been spent on “detailed advance studies including site investigations, archaeological investigations, ecology and environmental impact studies and traffic impact analysis”.

Adwood Ltd, a consortium of established Dublin builders Adroit and Maplewood, won the tender process and has agreed to pay the authority €38m and “deliver the social housing units at competitive rates over four years”.

However the council has not revealed what these “competitive rates” will be. 

Kilcarbery plans: Social housing is highlighted in orange with the private homes in blue.

€2 million of state funding has also been secured as part of the project, and SDCC said “the developer has also committed to delivering 50 units at prices discounted to the market”.

All going well with planning permission, construction is expected to begin early in 2019 and the finished development will include 681 private three and four-bed houses,  as well as 272 one, two and three-bed apartments.

The tender also includes an 847 sqm community building which will be handed over to the Council.

Welcoming the announcement Independent Councillor Francis Timmons said:

I have got in writing from the proposed developer that based on current projections and current market advice, average sales prices of circa €275,000, with over 30% of homes priced below €250,000.

However the Workers’ Party has criticised today’s, particularly that a portion of the land will go into private ownership. 

In a statement the party’s David Gardiner said: 

The Workers’ Party calls for public housing, with rent based on income, to be built on this site and others owned by the state. This would address the needs of both those on the (housing) waiting list, and those who aren’t on the list but can’t afford to buy.