UP TO 800 homes could be delivered in Limerick on lands owned by the Shannon Foynes Port Company, a Government document claims.
However, the Land Development Agency (LDA) say that these lands are “not a priority” for development and instead should be considered a long-term objective.
In an updated report on the Housing for All plan published in November, aimed at showing the Government’s progress on housing projects nationwide, the land in Limerick was described as currently being “in operational use by the Port”, adding that the installation of flood defences would need to be installed before the land could be further developed.
“This is a long-term potential opportunity that requires installation of flood defences and a strategy for the relocation of the Port,” the report explains.
The Shannon Foynes Port Company said in June that it was “shocked” to see lands it owns included in the LDA’s plans to build more housing.
In correspondence to the LDA at the time, reported in The Irish Times, representatives of the Shannon Foynes Port Company said they were “disappointed” that such a report could be published “without any meaningful consultation”.
In a statement to the Limerick Post, a spokesman for the LDA said: “The lands at Shannon Foynes Port were identified as State-owned lands with the potential for housing in the LDA’s Report on Relevant Public Land published in March of this year, along with 82 other parcels of land throughout the country.”
“The report is a factual document comprehensively and coherently identifying, for the first time, land in the ownership of State bodies and agencies that could be used for housing. Considerable progress has been made on the unlocking of certain lands included in the report for the delivery of affordable housing and the LDA is actively progressing a number of projects while discussions are ongoing in relation to others.”
While the land owned by the Shannon Foynes Port Company is among a number of sites identified with the potential for development, the spokesman said that, with so many sites identified, they can’t all be priorities at the one time.
“The sites identified in the report are in various stages of readiness for development, and the report itself made it clear that not all sites would be developed for a variety of reasons, including the fact that they may be required by the public bodies involved for other purposes,” the spokesman said.
“The report was designed to initiate discussions in relation to the sites identified and ultimately unlock some of the sites for housing, a process that is now well underway.
“Since the publication of the report, the LDA and Shannon Foynes Port Company have held discussions. The lands at the port, however, are highly constrained and so are not an immediate priority for the LDA.
“The agency is focussed on other areas of Limerick at present, including the delivery of cost rental apartments in Castletroy and plans for the delivery of new housing on lands within the strategic Colbert Quarter area of Limerick City,” the statement concluded.
The Shannon Foynes Port Company were also contacted for comment.
