South Dublin County Council has agreed to progress a new affordable housing development in Killinarden, Tallaght that could provide up to 500 new social, affordable and private homes.

The proposed mix for the Killinarden site is for 300 affordable homes with 100 private and with an extra 100 social homes provided. Affordable housing delivered on the site is expected to include 2-bed apartments/duplex, 3-bed houses/duplex and 4-bed houses.

The development will also include a new community centre and sports pavilion to meet the community and sporting needs of residents. This aspect of the development is seen as central to connecting the new and existing communities of the area.

The Killinarden site was the subject of an approved Council bid for support from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government under the Serviced Sites Fund for the delivery of an indicative 300 affordable homes.  This fund provides a subsidy of up to €50,000 per affordable home so as to deliver homes at 10% or more below market price.

The projected cost maximum price for these affordable homes and the projected income levels are as follows:

The final price and income levels will be subject to a competitive tender process supporting both the current estimated land value and projected building costs.

The Killinarden development was one site listed by the Council for the public when launching an expression of interest portal in September 2019. The launch of the portal followed the allocation of €18 million to South Dublin County Council by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government through the government’s Serviced Sites Fund to support the development of three sites earmarked for the delivery of affordable homes.

The two other sites include plans for;

• 135 homes in phase one of the approved Clonburris Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) scheme,
• 100 homes in Rathcoole.

2,345 expressions of interest have been received through the portal to date with 1,515 people indicating a preference for Killinarden, of which 382 were first preferences with 401 second preferences and 732 third preferences.

The delivery of affordable homes is one aspect of South Dublin County Council’s ambitious housing programme aimed at delivering 4,500 homes over the lifetime of the current Council. Estimated to be worth over €1 billion, it is part of the Council’s commitment to the government’s Rebuilding Ireland programme.

It is estimated that up to 1,500 of these new homes will be delivered as affordable and will help low-to-middle income earners purchase their own property. The final breakdown of the five mixed tenure developments will be decided based on the final master plans approved for each site.

South Dublin County Council will now look to appoint a joint venture partner to progress the Killinarden development and deliver much-needed homes to the area.