Major shift for stalled north Wicklow housing scheme as bridge design now complete
The Wicklow PeopleAfter months of stagnation, the Rehills lands project in Bray has taken a significant step forward.
District manager Jackie Carroll informed councillors at their monthly meeting in April that the long‑anticipated design for the access bridge is now complete, a breakthrough that could finally unlock one of the town’s most valuable and strategically located landbanks.
The 10 acre Rehills site, located near the Dublin Road and long identified as a prime location for new housing, has been the subject of political debate, funding disputes, and community frustration. Wicklow County Council has repeatedly stated that the vehicular access bridge is the single most critical piece of enabling infrastructure required before any homes can be delivered. Without it, the land remains effectively landlocked.
The site is widely regarded as the last major council owned landbank in Bray, a fact that has intensified political pressure to unlock its potential. With limited public land remaining in the town, the future of Rehills carries implications far beyond a single project.
Ms Carroll’s announcement that the bridge design is now complete represents a turning point. For the first time, the council has a defined engineering solution, and a clearer understanding of the costs involved. It also provides a foundation for renewed engagement with the Housing Activation Office (HAO), which the Department of Housing previously recommended as the appropriate route for securing infrastructure funding.
The timing of this development is significant. In a recent parliamentary question submitted by the Social Democrats, Housing Minister James Browne confirmed that Wicklow County Council had submitted a Social Housing Investment Programme (SHIP) application in June 2025 seeking funding for 140 social homes on the Rehills site. However, the Department raised “significant concerns” about the overall cost of the project, particularly the “abnormal costs” associated with the bridge.
Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act show that the council’s own Stage 1 Capital Appraisal in 2025 acknowledged these issues in stark terms. The report stated that “an allowance has also been made for cost pressures associated with this project site, which are significant,” and set out an initial all in budget of an estimated €83 million.
The appraisal also confirmed that “the site is currently inaccessible and the current proposal includes for a new bridge over the River Dargle,” underscoring that the bridge was always identified as the single enabling constraint.
The documents further highlights the scale of housing need in Bray at the time of the submission, with 966 households on the waiting list, including 551 seeking one bed units. It also shows that the Rehills lands form part of a high density zoning objective in the Bray Local Area Plan, designated as Specific Local Objective 2, intended to support multi phase development far beyond the initial 140 units. In other words, the bridge is not just required for Phase 1, it unlocks the entire future development potential of the site.
In October 2025, the Department informed the council that the application was unlikely to be approved in its current form. Instead, the Department advised the council to explore alternative funding options for the bridge and indicated it would consider a revised submission for the housing element alone. The message was clear: the State was willing to fund the homes, but not the bridge through SHIP.
The Government’s launch of the Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund (HIIF) in January 2026 appeared to offer a new pathway. The €1 billion fund, managed by the HAO, is designed specifically to finance enabling infrastructure that unlocks housing delivery. Yet the Minister confirmed that Wicklow County Council did not submit an application for the Rehills site under HIIF Call 1, which closed in February.
The completion of the bridge design now adds further pressure on the local authority to act.
Ms Carroll’s update suggests that the local authority may finally be able to prepare a credible HIIF application for a future call. With a completed design, the council can now provide the level of detail required for infrastructure funding: cost certainty, engineering feasibility, and a clear link to housing delivery.
The Rehills site has long been viewed as a key component of Bray’s housing strategy. Its proximity to transport links, schools, and services makes it one of the most suitable locations for new homes in the district. The council’s original SHIP proposal for 140 social homes was only the first phase of what could ultimately become a larger mixed tenure development.
However, the lack of access has been a persistent obstacle. The bridge is not only expensive but technically complex, requiring careful integration with existing road networks and environmental considerations. The Department’s concerns about abnormal costs were not unexpected, but they left the Council in a difficult position: unable to proceed without funding, yet unable to secure funding without a more detailed design.
The completion of the bridge design allows the council to quantify the abnormal costs more accurately and demonstrate value for money, two key criteria for HIIF support. It also strengthens the council’s case for the housing element of the project, which the Department has already indicated it is willing to consider separately.