More State investment is needed in Dublin city than in the other three Dublin local authority areas combined in order to make priority zoned lands usable for housing, a Government report has found.

Land zoned in Dublin city and county that could provide up to 50,000 homes cannot be used until the Government invests €165 million in infrastructure such as water pipes, power lines and roads, according to the Dublin Housing Supply Task Force.

The taskforce, set up under the Government's Construction 2020 strategy, said there was enough zoned land in the greater Dublin area to meet housing demand for the next six years. However, investment of €165 million by agencies such as Irish Water and the National Roads Authority was needed to allow the remaining zoned land to be used.

Priority investment

While not all of this investment was needed immediately, the taskforce recommended that €63 million be spent this year and next as a “priority investment” to allow “key strategic areas” in each of the four local authorities to be ready for development when the existing serviced land runs out.

The report, which was completed last January but has yet to be published by the Government, found a €63 million investment would free up enough land to build 12,500 homes. Each of the four local authorities has identified the zoned land banks which could most quickly be brought into use if funding were available.

Infrastructure

More than half of the funding, €35 million, would be needed in Dublin city, to allow about 3,400 homes to be developed – an infrastructural cost of about €10,000 per unit.

Fingal, the largest local authority area, has the greatest potential for housing. It has identified about 5,000 units, mostly houses, which could be built in the short term if infrastructure were put in place. Fingal’s funding requirements are far lower than the city’s, however, with just €13 million needed to release the land, or €2,600 per unit.

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council said it needed €10 million to allow 2,500 homes to be developed, about €4,000 per unit.

South Dublin has the smallest amount of land that could be developed in the short term and has identified the potential for about 1,600 homes to be built if an infrastructural investment of just under €5 million, or about €3,000 per property, were made.