LDA identifies two housing sites – but one is earmarked for new pool

Two sites in Mullingar have been identified by the Land Development Agency (LDA) as having potential for housing development.

One of the sites, however, is currently being promoted as the location of the new Mullingar swimming pool, comprising lands between the railway line and Blackhall, portions of which are owned by Westmeath County Council and parts of which are currently in the ownership of Córas Iompair Éireann.

The second site identified in the agency’s second ‘Report on Relevant Public Land’ is Columb Barracks, which the LDA first listed as a target site in 2021.

In its commentary on the Blackhall lands, on which development would be “moderately constrained”, the LDA lists it as being zoned in the most recent – albeit expired – Mullingar Local Area Plan (2014-2020) for mixed use, education, community and institutional purposes, open space and existing residential use.

The view of the LDA is that between 220 and 310 homes could be provided on the 4.4 hectare site.

Noting that a new Mullingar Local Area Plan 2024-2030 is in pre-draft stage, the commentary states that there is “no local authority masterplan affecting the land”, and that the land is not specifically identified within the housing strategy.

The LDA makes no reference to the regional sports centre or swimming pool proposal.

In its estimate on what the cost of development of and provision for infrastructure for the site would be, the LDA gives a cost range of between €75.35m and €108.55m.

The analysis also points out that development of the site would require the reconfiguration of public car parking serving Mullingar town centre, and that a partial rezoning of the site would be required.

Columb Barracks

The predicted indicative yield on the 10.1 hectare Columb Barracks site, currently in the ownership of the defence minister, would be of between 420 and 590 homes – but development would be “significantly constrained”, the LDA believes.

In its commentary, the LDA describes the site as incorporating a single parcel of public land in the ownership of the minister .

It says that the area has not been specifically identified within the housing strategy, and as with the Blackhall site, it points out that a new Mullingar Local Area Plan covering the years 2024 to 2030 is in pre-draft stage.

Estimating the cost range of development and infrastructure provision at €140.5m to €141.5m, the LDA says the site is currently under short term residential use and is not available for redevelopment. It says that in conjunction with other relevant stakeholders, it will continue to monitor the availability of the site, and it notes that the site has many historic structures which would need to be retained.

In total, the report considered publicly owned land across Ireland in 55 locations in cities, towns and urban areas with a population greater than 10,000 people.

However, it admits, over 80 per cent of the sites (including the Mullingar two) are either moderately or significantly constrained, and many are in active operation for non-housing uses. “In some cases, the costs of unlocking the land may not make economic sense,” the document concedes.

Athlone

The study by the LDA also identifies two sites in Athlone. One at Grace Park Road, a 1.8 hectare site which could yield up to 130 homes, falls into the least constrained category. That site is owned by Westmeath County Council.

The second site identified is the Bus Éireann Depot, a site of 2.6 hectares, described as moderately constrained. It has an indicative yield of between 160 and 230 homes. The site is owned by Córas Iompair Éireann.

The estimated cost range of development of the Grace Park Road site is given as €33.75 million to €44.65 million, while the estimated cost of development and provision of infrastructure at the bus depot site comes to between €49.95 million and €67.9 million.