Tight deadline sees DCC bypass councillors in bid toward €1bn housing fund
Dublin City Council has put forward a bid for central government to fund over €38 million toward housing development in three key areas around the city.
The application was submitted to the Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund (HIIF) last January and is a key measure in the government’s plan to deliver 300,000 new homes by 2030 . The available funds come from a €1 billion multi-annual pot that will be distributed to local authorities over the next four years.
Executive Manager Martin Donlon told councillors at the most recent Housing and Social Inclusion SPC that the timeframe for their application was so tight they weren’t able to consult with representatives before putting forward their three applications. He assured councillors they would be more involved now that they have time to prepare for next year’s callout.
This year’s funding aims to assist local authorities with housing projects that can be delivered before 2028. Dublin City Council has requested €21,970,045 for the Donore Project, which aims to deliver 542 units at Dublin 8, €6,798,466 toward 172 units at Cherry Orchard , and €9,725,000 for 240 units at Balbutcher and Sillogue.
HIIF provides essential funds for enabling housing infrastructure and delivery and focuses on unlocking large-scale, serviced land. Mr Donlon explain it is designed “to remove infrastructure barriers that delay or prevent housing development and represents the largest targeted housing infrastructure fund in recent years.”
Established by the Department of Housing, the formation of the Housing Activation Office (HAO) brings together experts from Uisce Eireann, ESB Networks, National Transport Authority and Transport Infrastructure Ireland, Local Authorities and the Department of Housing to identify blockages and unlock lands for housing.
Mr Donlon said HIIF was created to address the significant volume of zoned land that remains undeveloped around the country. With a need to greatly accelerate housing delivery, this support provides local authorities with a boost to fast track the process. However, he explained “HIIF is not for building homes directly - it funds the infrastructure that makes homes deliverable.”
HIIF projects may receive grant funding of up to 100% of eligible project costs to support the delivery of infrastructure projects that can commence construction in 2026 or 2027 and be substantially complete by 2028. Successful grants will be announced by the end of Q1 2026.
The details of Dublin City Council ’s three applications are as follows:
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