Up to 1,000 social and affordable homes could be built at Leopardstown racecourse in south Dublin in a potential deal between two State agencies, it has emerged.
The Government’s Housing For All policy earmarked land belonging to State body Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) at Leopardstown racecourse for new homes in 2021.
HRI and the Land Development Agency (LDA) are in talks about the transfer of part of the site so that it can be used to build social and affordable housing.
“The LDA is currently in discussions with the HRI and the Government to secure the transfer of a section of the land, that if secured, would enable the development of around 1,000 homes,” a spokesman for the State land agency said.
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Paul Dermody, chief executive of HRI’s racecourses division, said that the organisation hoped to submit a masterplan for the entire racecourse to Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council by the end of this year.
“There is consensus on a portion of land that could be utilised for housing,” he added.
Mr Dermody noted that HRI had been in talks with the LDA for three years, while it was also working on a master plan for the future of Leopardstown Racecourse, which the body owns.
He maintained that it was too early to go into detail, as the sides had yet to reach agreement.
“I’d like to think that with a fair wind and collaboration between HRI and the LDA, we could submit our master plan to Dun Laoghaire Rathdown in the last quarter of this year,” he said.
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The potential housing site is on 49 acres given by the State to HRI’s predecessor, the Racing Board, to compensate it for the loss of part of its track when the nearby M50 motorway was built.
Located at the Carrickmines end of the racecourse complex, it was deemed vacant several years ago, which HRI contested, saying that Leopardstown used it for various purposes.
The LDA’s spokesman confirmed that the agency was aware HRI had plans to develop part of the land.
“The site in question was one of a number identified under the Government’s Housing For All plan in 2021 and for partial transfer as part of a Government decision in February 2024,” he said. “It was also highlighted in the LDA’s Report on Relevant Public Land, as published in March 2023.”
HRI administers horse racing in Ireland. Mr Dermody stressed that its plan for Leopardstown prioritised securing the racecourse’s future, specifically to maintain and expand racing there.
The LDA’s report on Relevant Public Lands identified 83 under-used sites owned by State bodies that could hold up to 67,000 new affordable homes “over the medium to long term”.
Its database calculates that HRI’s Carrickmines site could hold 1,500 to 2,080 homes. However, the LDA’s figures are estimates and not intended to be definitive.
Last year, State-owned energy group ESB agreed to transfer a site from its property on Sarsfield Road, Wilton, Cork with the potential for 350 homes to the agency.
Leopardstown is Dublin’s last remaining racecourse. The venue hosts National Hunt and flat racing. Its calendar includes the prestigious Dublin Racing Festival, which was staged over two days earlier this month.
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