Galway City’s new suburb will have up to 2,700 homes

Work on the first phase of construction for up to 2,700 homes in the new suburb of Ardaun could begin in 2019, city councillors were told this week.

The City Council’s Chief Executive made it clear to councillors – Ardaun is part of the solution to Galway’s housing crisis.

At a local authority meeting, councillors heard that a Draft Local Area Plan (effectively a mini City Development Plan) for around 405 acres in Ardaun – located close to Galway Clinic – should be ready by the end of July.

In the medium-term, it is proposed to construct 500 homes there, and the land has potential for up to 2,700 homes, as well as commercial development.

A minimum of 10% of the units will be used for social housing.

Last year, Ardaun was designated as a ‘major urban housing delivery site’ by the then Housing Minister Simon Coveney, a fast-track building scheme under the Rebuilding Ireland initiative.

According to the City Council’s Chief Executive Brendan McGrath, the plans are likely to go directly to An Bord Pleanála (under new legislation), and planning permission could be granted by early 2019.

The land will then be open to private developers to build on, in keeping with the Local Area Plan (LAP).

Mr McGrath said the latest figures from the national Housing Agency showed there is a shortfall of 2,316 homes in Galway City and suburbs (the figures are based on information from Census 2016).
For more on the Ardaun discussions, see this week’s Galway City Tribune. Buy a digital edition of this week’s paper here, or download the app for Android or iPhone.