CONSTRUCTION BOOM ON WAY AS LAND BECOMES AVAILABLE
SERVICED PROPERTY FORECAST TO DOUBLE LEADING TO ALMOST 13,000 NEW HOMES IN FIVE YEARS
June 2000
FIGURES released by the Department of the Environment predict that the amount of serviced land available for housing in Louth will double by the end of 2005 allowing for construction of 12,856 new homes in that period.
Following on a survey of housing land availability the department reckons that the amount of zoned serviced land will increase from 282 hectares at the end of last year to 590 hectares by the end of 2005.
Commenting on the growth envisaged in the survey, county secretary Joe Boland says: ‘ The county council has for a number of years been mindful of the development pressures the county is under, as Louth is becoming a very popular destination for residential, commercial and industrial projects.’
‘Its strategic location is one factor, the growing pressure from the Dublin area is another, and the state-of-theart infrastructure being put in place is certainly significant,’ he adds, pointing to a £400 million investment in roads in the county, in addition to the rail link.
Combine these with the Peace Process and the great availability of land here compared to Dublin, and it is little wonder the ‘ Wee County’ is growing.
In addition to the huge money being put into roads, £50 million sewerage projects are underway in Dundalk and Drogheda, as well as a number of other major water and sewerage projects in Carlingford, Dunleer, Clogherhead and Ardee.
‘ The council’s approach has been to cater for this increased demand in a planned rather than reactive way, and we are looking critically at our development plans.
‘We have a development strategy for all of our 42 development centres, in towns and villages, to examine how each one can facilitate residential, commercial, industrial and recreational development, and how we can match the planning process with our water and sewerage investment programme.’
A major initiative being undertaken is the setting up of Public Private Partnerships.
‘ The PPP for the Dundalk south-west sector, which will open 1,200 acres for development, is about to get up and running,’ says Mr Boland.
A similar arrangement is being progressed in north Drogheda.
The Blackrock development plan has gone through the public consultation stage, and he explains that consultants are to be engaged on an area action plan for the south-west and north of Dundalk.
The town’s development plan will also be reviewed.
The council’s own policy in relation to the provision of local authority housing has seen them plan ahead, the secretary maintains.
‘Our housing allocation is now made on a multi-annual basis and we have 200 housing starts over the next four years.’
The council has pursued a policy of acquiring land, in some cases by compulsory purchase order (CPO).
‘ This is the key element to all our plans.
‘We are mindful of the pressures in the whole housing area and will be looking at initiatives such as voluntary housing and joint ventures as well as adding to our own housing portfolio,’ Mr Boland concludes.