AN AGREEMENT HAS been reached to transfer the ownership of land at Leopardstown Racecourse from Horse Racing Ireland to the Land Development Agency, which both bodies said could be the site of 800 new homes.

The Land Development Agency (LDA) will take control of roughly 17 acres from Horse Racing Ireland (HRI), while design and planning for the new housing development will begin immediately, the two state bodies said in a joint statement today. 

“Subject to planning, the LDA land will be used to deliver new, A-rated homes, which will be located next to the existing, but currently unused Leopardstown Luas stop,” the statement said.

Leopardstown Racecourse has a Luas stop on the Green Line but it has been inactive since it opened in 2010 due to a lack of infrastructure. 

The LDA and HRI said they would work collaboratively and in consultation with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council on a new “masterplan” for Leopardstown, which they said will deliver “much-needed affordable housing and protect and further develop the leading racecourse and its extensive racing and non-racing facilities”.

The land was first identified as having the potential for housing in the Housing for All plan, which was first published in 2021.

Taoiseach, Micheál Martin said he was “delighted” by the agreement.

“Solving the housing challenge requires collaboration across our society, from government to a range of private and public bodies,” Martin said, adding that he was looking forward to seeing similar developments in the future. 

Housing Minister James Browne said the LDA “has the resources it needs to deliver housing at scale and has proven that it can do so quickly to a very high standard”. 

“The LDA already has a strong pipeline of development land, but it’s crucial that it is able to access more, especially State-owned land like this with the potential to deliver a high number of homes in a well located and well-serviced area.” 

Browne also encouraged other bodies to follow HRI’s lead by reviewing their land holdings and discussing possible transfers with the LDA “as a matter of urgency.”