Minister Seán Canney Welcomes Major Expansion in Role of Land Development Agency to Boost Housing Supply
Seán Canney TD, Minister of State for International and Road Transport, Logistics, Rails and Ports and Leader in Cabinet of the Independent Ministers, has welcomed the Government’s agreement in principle to an ambitious expansion of the Land Development Agency’s (LDA) remit, designed to accelerate the delivery of housing across Ireland.
The Cabinet has accepted the Housing Cabinet Committee’s package of policy and legislative recommendations to strengthen the LDA’s role and allow it to work more effectively with local authorities, the Department of Housing, and the Housing Activation Office to plan, deliver, and unlock housing at scale.
Minister Canney stated: “This is a strong signal of the Government’s intent to use every tool at our disposal to deliver the scale of housing needed in every part of Ireland. The LDA has already demonstrated its ability to deliver social and affordable housing, and these changes will allow it to do even more — including in areas where development has stalled or land has remained idle.”
The expansion of the LDA’s remit includes six key changes:
Allowing the LDA to acquire and develop privately held land to support mixed-tenure housing delivery, including private housing, where appropriate;
Expanding the LDA’s operations beyond current urban centres to include towns with populations under 30,000;
Unlocking strategic public land for housing by investing in enabling infrastructure, particularly on brownfield sites;
Amending the LDA Act to accelerate the transfer of suitable lands from commercial state bodies;
Working with the Department of Finance on the tax treatment of LDA cost rental activity;
Strengthening the LDA’s role in supporting local and national planning through collaboration with the Housing Activation Office and in areas designated for Transport-Oriented Development (TOD) and Urban Development Zones (UDZ).
The proposals will now move forward for detailed legislative development, with relevant departments tasked with bringing forward the necessary actions for Cabinet approval and implementation.
Minister Canney added: “A joined-up approach to master planning and delivery will be essential. These changes will ensure the LDA can play a full role in achieving that vision.”