A ROAD BRIDGE over the N11, a new urban park in Sandyford and a Naas harbour pedestrian bridge are just some of the 82 infrastructure projects getting funding under a €1 billion government fund. 

Administered by the new Housing Activation Office, within the Department of Housing, the Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund aims to unlock residential zoned land banks. 

Housing Minister James Browne said today that many of the projects are shovel ready, and are just waiting to go to tender. 

He called for local authorities to move in parallel with developers, so housing can be realised on sites very quickly.

Funding aims to unlock delivery of thousands of homes

The approved projects will enable the delivery of 86,000 new homes and provide the potential for a further 113,000 homes, said the minister. 

Some of the projects include a road bridge and link roads over the N11 from Woodbrook/ Shankill to Old Connaught, with an estimated cost of about €20 million. 

A new Sandford Civic Park is also on the cards, at a cost of €10 million, while a link road from Ballyfermot Road through to Park West has also been green-lighted, along with a public park at Kiltiernan. 

The minister said some of the projects are relatively modest interventions but can unlock significant housing opportunities for communities, while other larger investments will unlock residentially zoned land banks.

Importantly, the Housing Activation Office will drive these projects in tandem with local authorities, Uisce Eireann and the ESB, said Browne. 

“This collaborative approach is essential if we are going to maximise the impact of public investment and accelerate housing delivery right across the country,” said the housing minister. 

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“I am intensely focused on delivering more homes but also on delivering the best possible environment for constructing more homes. Across the country, we see zoned land lying idle because the critical enabling infrastructure needed to support housing development is not in place. The projects I am providing funding for today will directly tackle this problem. By investing at scale now, we can accelerate home building,” added Browne. 

Minister of State John Cummins said the projects getting funded will create the infrastructure and environment on the ground to realise the full potential of lands across the country. 

For a full list of the projects approved today click here.