Bids to build almost 600 social and affordable homes in Shankill, in south county Dublin have been sought by the Land Development Agency (LDA).
The LDA and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council have planning permission to build 546 apartments and 51 houses at Shanganagh, south of Shankill Village.
The tender process for the €160 million project was on Thursday opened by the State’s development agency following official sanction by Government.
The successful bidder is expected to be selected later this year with construction scheduled to start next year and with the first homes due to be completed early in 2023.
The estate will be the largest social and affordable housing development underway on State lands and is seen as a flagship project for the new agency. The almost 10 hectare site surrounds Shanganagh Castle, a former juvenile detention centre.
Of the 597 homes, 200 will be used for social housing, 91 will be sold to low and middle-income workers under the forthcoming affordable scheme, and 306 will be cost-rental homes, where the rent is based on the cost of financing, building and managing the housing.
These homes will be designated for renters who do not qualify for social housing but do not earn enough to compete in the general rental market. Rents are expect to range from about €1,000 for a one-bedroom apartment up to €1,300 for two-bedroom homes.
The development will also include communal resident facilities such as a gym, function room and co-working spaces, as well as a creche, a shop and cafe.
The new homes will be within 10 minutes’ walk of a new DART station being developed by Iarnród Éireann at Woodbrook, north of Bray.
While the LDA is currently focusing on the the provision of housing on State land, it will have the power to purchase private sites.
Phelim O’Neill, head of property with the LDA said the start of the tender process represented an important step forward in the Shanganagh development.
"The Land Development Agency is happy to get the green light from Government to move forward with the tender process for Shanganagh Castle. This is another important milestone in the process of delivering nearly 600 affordable and social homes in Dún Laoghaire Rathdown."
