Portion of Leopardstown Racecourse Sold for Housing

Horse Racing Ireland has reached an agreement with the Land Development Agency regarding the sale of a portion of land at Leopardstown racecourse which could deliver 800 social and affordable homes. The LDA is the state's affordable housing delivery body, which focuses on maximizing supply on state-owned land. It identified the 57.5-acre site at Leopardstown in its 2023 report on public land that is underused. It has since outlined plans to build homes in the area amid the country's housing crisis and the government setting a target of 300,000 new homes by 2030. It has been the subject of numerous discussions between the parties since before the LDA's report as the site, located on the Carrickmines side of the racecourse, was first identified as suitable for new homes in the government's Housing For All report in 2021. Discussions centered around a portion of land within the site and HRI's position was that a sale would progress plans to enhance Leopardstown's own development, following on from recent improvements to the weighing room and grandstand areas, which cost more than €20 million. However, in December 2022, Fine Gael ministers Martin Heydon, current minister for agriculture to whom HRI reports, and Peter Burke sought assurances from the then minister for agriculture Charlie McConalogue that there would be an engagement process and that the minister would intervene if the LDA sought to transfer significant land from the racecourse. Reports suggest Taoiseach Micheal Martin intervened in discussions between the two state bodies after negotiations reached a stalemate earlier this year. However, HRI revealed June 6 that both parties had reached an agreement which will result in 17 acres of land being transferred to the LDA, with the new development also seeing the activation of a new Luas tram station on the site. The deal for 17 acres is less land than the LDA originally planned but a compromise was met, with HRI set to receive compensation for the transfer. Both parties will undergo a consultation with Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council regarding a new master plan for Leopardstown, which will involve the development of facilities at the racecourse as well as the planned affordable housing. Work on the master plan is scheduled to begin immediately and the newly acquired LDA land will be used to deliver new homes next to the currently unused Leopardstown Luas tram stop. The Taoiseach said: "I'm delighted to see these lands being made available to support the delivery of homes at scale, close to critical amenities, in an area of great need. Solving the housing challenge requires collaboration across our society, from government to a range of private and public bodies. "I commend HRI for making its contribution and look forward to seeing more of these types of transfers, allowing us to unlock state land to provide much-needed homes for people and families across the country. I look forward to seeing progress in Leopardstown over the coming years." Suzanne Eade, CEO of Horse Racing Ireland added: "We are pleased to announce this land transfer, which will allow for the potential development of a significant number of new and much-needed homes. "Crucially, for an industry which contributes in excess of €2.46bn to the Irish economy annually, the agreement safeguards our plans to further develop the Leopardstown racecourse campus, and to improve what is already a proven world-class horse racing facility, while fostering a sustainable mixed-use neighborhood benefiting the greater Dublin area."