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300-plus Crown Square homes to be cost rental

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From this week's Galway City Tribune

From this week's Galway City Tribune

300-plus Crown Square homes to be cost rental 300-plus Crown Square homes to be cost rental

The Land Development Agency (LDA) is to buy up one of the city’s largest housing developments to provide cost rental accommodation.

The agency announced this week that it will purchase all 345 apartments planned for Crown Square in Mervue for an undisclosed sum.

A spokesperson for the LDA said the price paid to developers JJ Rhatigan & Company for the development, which is already under construction, could not be released until a later date.

Secured under the LDA’s Homebuilder Partnership initiative, the first units in Mervue are expected to be delivered at the end of 2026.

A total of 310 of the apartments will be made available as cost rentals, with the remaining 35 to be allocated for social housing.

The development consists of 86 one-bed apartments, 240 two-beds and 19 three-beds across four blocks on 12.6-acre site.

Two office blocks have already been constructed on the Crown site, one of which has been purchased by Galway City Council but awaits fitting out.

A new 180-bed hotel, Raddison Red, was opened on the site just before Christmas, and future developments include a further three office blocks.

Cost rental was introduced by the last government, to provide secure and long-term tenancies at rates around 25% lower than private rentals – it is provided to those who do not qualify for other State-housing supports but cannot afford to rent in the private market.

Galway City Council this week welcomed the announcement, and Director of Services Elizabeth Fanning said these new homes supported the local authority’s commitment to facilitate delivery of social, affordable, and cost rental homes.

“This development will provide much-needed homes for residents, ensuring they have access to high-quality accommodation within easy reach of essential amenities and services. We look forward to our continued collaboration with the LDA and The Rhatigan Group to ensure the successful completion of this project and to continue addressing the housing needs of our city,” said Ms Fanning.

Earlier this month, Cllr Declan McDonnell urged the Council to purchase the entire development to provide social and affordable housing.

Chairman of the Rhatigan Group, Pádraic Rhatigan, said they were “delighted to partner with the LDA” on this housing development and promised “a fantastic place to live” for its future residents.

“Residents will also live beside leisure and healthcare facilities including a medical centre and pharmacy and a walking or running track which surrounds the 12.65-acre campus,” he said.

This is one of four housing developments the LDA is now centrally involved in for the city – proposing to build 200 homes on the Dyke Road in partnership with the Council; 250 apartments at the Docks on a site which has been transferred to them by Galway Harbour Company; and a long-term plan to deliver 750 homes on Sandy Road.

A spokesperson for the LDA told the Galway City Tribune this week that all these projects were at different stages of progress.

“The Dyke Road has gone through public consultation and it is expected that will go for planning permission this year. The Sandy Road Quarter is quite a long-term, strategic site,” he said, adding it was at a “very early stage”.

A planning application for the Docks development is also expected this year.

Pictured: Crown Square: 345 apartments due to be completed by the end of 2026.

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