A planning application for a new waterside neighbourhood with more than 200 homes in Galway City will be ready to be lodged this autumn.

The Land Development Agency (LDA) confirmed it was finalising proposals to build 219 apartments on part of a car park owned by Galway City Council on the Dyke Road.

Phase one of the development, known as Tóchar na Coiribe or Corrib Causeway, will include 22 homes for people on the Council’s social housing waiting list, and the remainder (90%) will be cost rental.

This new housing tenure offers secure rental options for households earning an annual income of less than €59,000 net.

Rents are calculated based on the cost of building and managing the property and are supposed to be “at least” 25% below the regular market rate.

The one-, two- and three-bedroom homes will be built in developments ranging in height from six to nine storeys overlooking the Corrib.

The LDA said it planned to redevelop the Dyke Road site, off Headford Road, in three phases.

Phase one includes residential units and a crèche, and construction work could start in 2026 if it jumps planning hurdles.

There is no timeframe yet for the delivery of the next two phases.

The LDA confirmed it expected to lodge the phase one planning application directly with An Bord Pleanála in the third quarter of this year.

The publicly funded commercial state body said it would pay for the project, but it had “no details on cost yet”.

Located about 500 metres from Eyre Square, the residential complex will be designed with ‘city living’ in mind.

A spokesperson for LDA confirmed that given its proximity to the city centre, there would be a “limited” number of car parking spaces, along with 400 bicycle spaces, and car sharing and car club spaces. The development, according to LDA, will “primarily promote sustainable modes of travel”.

Phase one will take place on the site where the existing main car park on the Dyke Road is located, in the middle section of the 1.78 hectares site (4.3 acres).

LDA’s spokesperson said the first phase will include a “publicly accessible open space”, and a crèche to cater for demand from phase one, two and three. This suggests the development will primarily cater for young, working families.