Frustration in Leopardstown as housing plan stalls

Frustration is growing in Leopardstown as the proposed development of housing at the site of the racecourse owned by Horse Racing Ireland has stalled.

The site was earmarked as a potential social housing development, with the 57-acre site potentially able to host as many as 2080 houses, but the transfer of the site from Housing Racing Ireland to the Land Development Agency has stalled in recent weeks.

Dublin Rathdown Sinn Féin representative Shaun Tracey has said the plan “is in jeopardy due to Government failure.”

Tracey pointed out said that Government should have drawn up legislation to grant compulsory purchase orders to the Land Development Agency in a bid to solve the stand-off.

He said, “this land, along with others across this constituency, has the potential to make serious headway in housing the thousands of families on Dún Laoghaire Rathdown’s housing waiting list.”

“It is the view of my party that the Land Development Agencies’ primary function should be to identify suitable land banks for social and affordable housing that are in public ownership, and to negotiate the transfer of these lands to local authorities for development by the local authorities.”

“This would remove any state-aid rules problems that would prevent the LDA from having compulsory purchase powers as they would not be directly involved in the development of houses.”

“The land at Leopardstown is ready to go.  It is zoned residential, it is water and drainage serviced, it has its own Luas stop and it is adjacent to the M50.”

Tracey, who has been selected as Sinn Féin’s candidate for the area in the next general election said “this is devastating news for all those across Dún Laoghaire Rathdown who are desperately waiting for the delivery of social and affordable housing.