Statement on Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund

Media Statement

Thursday 18 June

Summary

Longford County Council would like to clarify recent comments in the media regarding our engagement with the Housing Activation Office (HAO) and the Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund (HIIF). The comments do not reflect the facts, the timeline, or the extensive work undertaken by the Council to advance strategic housing delivery in the county.

The Council established a cross-directorate project team in July 2025 specifically focused on strategic infrastructure for housing activation, focused on identifying, sequencing, and progressing enabling works required to unlock significant housing capacity in Longford, with an initial focus on Longford Town.

Longford County Council engaged directly with the Housing Activation Office, Department of Transport, and Department of Housing on plans to deliver strategic infrastructure to activate housing delivery. Internally, the relevant Strategic Policy Committees, Corporate Policy Group and full Council have been fully informed, ensuring full transparency at every stage in the process.

Detailed plans for a new distributor road in Longford Town (Abbeycartron Distributor Road) have been developed to activate zoned lands capable of delivering approximately 1,000 homes and it is important to note that the first HIIF call required projects to be substantially complete by the end of 2028. Based on engineering, planning, and procurement timelines, our distributor road project could not realistically meet that deadline. Submitting an
application that could not satisfy the mandatory criteria could have weakened Longford’s position for future calls.

Recognising the scale and importance of this project, we proactively sought and secured funding of €50,000 from the Department of Transport to complete essential preliminary works. This step is critical to ensuring that Longford will be in a position to submit a strong, evidence-based application to HIIF and was completed in dialogue with officials in the Housing Activation Office.

Longford County Council is now completing the necessary technical, financial, and statutory work to ensure that Longford submits a robust, competitive application for the next HIIF round, where the project timelines will align with national delivery requirements.
Longford County Council has not been inactive or negligent in pursuing HIIF funding, and this is supported by the facts. Our approach has been strategic, responsible, and fully aligned with national policy, with the clear objective of unlocking housing delivery for the people of Longford.

In parallel, Longford County Council has established a clearly defined and proactively managed housing delivery programme, including the progression of its first affordable housing scheme in almost 20 years and a strengthened pipeline of projects to 2028.

Background

County Longford faces major housing delivery challenges which can only be addressed through a coordinated and collaborative approach by national and Local Government.

Strategic interventions are required to activate the private housing market. It is recognised that there is a demand for affordable housing in Longford to support community and economic development. The reality is that property developers cannot recoup construction costs through private sales, lenders are slow to fund private development projects and there is a lack of mixed tenure. The current environment relies on Government to provide funding for social housing. This reliance on social housing has resulted in Longford having one of the highest percentages of social housing per capita in the country with 48 social homes for every 1,000 people.

Sustainable Future Development

Underpinning the sustainable future development of Longford town is the delivery of high quality infrastructure that can service the demands of the town’s residents and its businesses and provide for balanced growth and reliable service provision necessary for
creating sustainable and attractive communities and securing economic investment. Phase 1 is the delivery of the proposed Abbeycartron Distributor Road which will facilitate access to and unlock lands in Longford town with the potential to deliver approximately 1,000 residential units. This new road, between Battery Road and Ballinalee Road, joins up landbanks east and west of the Camlin river. An indicative access strategy has been developed which provides balanced access for all modes of transport.

This roads project forms a critical part of the town’s future development framework, providing essential connectivity between existing and emerging residential areas, employment zones, and community facilities. Its delivery will improve traffic circulation,
enhance accessibility, and create a coherent internal road network that supports both residential development and economic activity.

Future plans include a new road between Battery Road and Abbeycartron Lane. This provides for access onto Battery Road at two points reducing the overall volume of vehicles that utilise any one entrance point. High quality pedestrian and cycle infrastructure will also be provided along this route.

Road proposals to serve the area east of the Camlin are also planned. New pedestrian/cycle routes are proposed along and across the Camlin River and between Abbeycartron Lane and the Albert Reynolds Peace Park (Mall) which provide additional active travel access routes to the lands. Further permeability routes are proposed, with a central route through the site from Druid Glen to the Camlin River pedestrian/cycle route, and a second connection between Abbeycartron and the Mall. Overall, this strategy will seek to provide good permeability throughout the area for sustainable modes, while providing for appropriate access for vehicles.

What the Council is doing

Taking a holistic and strategic approach and recognising the challenges associated with
housing delivery, Longford County Council considered what interventions could be applied
locally to address them.

• In July 2025, in the understanding that a new strategic infrastructure fund would be
launched by Government, a multi-disciplinary and cross directorate team was
established.

• Considering that activating zoned land in Longford Town is a priority, a review of the
County Development Plan and the Longford Town Local Area Plan was carried out.

• Following consideration of the new housing targets, the Council determined in
December 2025 that sufficient zoned lands are available to meet these targets.

• A review of issues impacting on private housing delivery indicated that the current
housing density was making the delivery of schemes unviable and did not meet the
needs of people looking to invest in a new home.

• Focusing on zoned lands, the Council identified approximately 70 hectares in the
northern environs of Longford Town which are landlocked and facing challenges in
securing planning for residential and commercial development.

 • A decision was made by senior management and Elected Members to commence the
process of developing a plan to secure funding for the development of a link road
(Phase 1: Abbeycartron Distributor Road) which would unlock lands that have the
capacity to deliver approximately 1,000 homes. This strategic infrastructure not only
unlocks zoned lands but also provides connectivity to community and educational
facilities, recreation and sporting amenities, and opens up links to the town centre and
industrial and commercial locations.

• Engagement by Housing with the Housing Activation Office and Roads with the
Department of Transport alerted them to the plans for the delivery of this strategic
infrastructure in Longford Town.

• Work commenced immediately to develop a funding plan which would supplement
Government funding to deliver the project.

• Following a review of the Development Contribution Scheme, provision was made by
the Elected Members in December 2025 to allow for a supplementary development
contribution scheme to be developed. The updated scheme was considered and
approved by the Council in May 2026. This provides the required mechanism for the
introduction of a Supplementary Development Contribution Scheme to raise the
matched funding for the project.

• The development of a Supplementary Development Contribution Scheme is well
advanced and a draft will be presented to the Elected Members in the coming months
before progressing to public consultation.

• Call 1 for the Housing Strategic Infrastructure Fund was launched in January 2026.
Based on the criteria announced, the proposed project did not meet the requirements
to be ready to commence construction in 2026/2027 with substantial completion by
2028.

• Guidance from the HAO was received and based on this the Council decided to ensure
that the appropriate due diligence and project plan be developed in advance of further
funding calls.

• The Council received funding of €50,000 from the Department of Transport for 2026.
This funding will allow us to advance the concept/feasibility stage for this project.
Work will also begin on the strategic assessment and development of the preliminary
business case for the project and ensure the Council complies with the Government’s
Infrastructure Guidelines 2023.

• The Physical Development and Social Development Strategic Policy Committees were
kept informed on progress together with updates to the Corporate Policy Group and
full Council.

• Separately, Longford County Council is reestablishing our relationships with property
developers so that they understand that the Council’s future focus will be on the
delivery of mixed tenure housing developments in the county. Where developments
are in the pipeline, the Council will engage with developers regarding their Part V
obligations.

• The Council also approved new guidance and procedures for the implementation of
Part V requirements in May 2026.

• In June 2026, Longford County Council adopted Variation 1 to the County Development
Plan, which will activate lands zoned strategic residential reserve.

• A review of the Council’s Housing Strategy has commenced, and this will be based on
the foundation of identified housing needs.

• The Council is delivering a strong and progressively expanding capital housing
programme aligned with identified housing needs across the county.

• The Council is progressing the delivery of the first affordable housing scheme in almost
20 years, representing a significant milestone in supporting tenure diversity and
housing supply.