300 new homes underway at Church Fields development in Dublin 15

The first sod has been turned on the construction of 300 new homes for Fingal County Council as part of its ambitious Church Fields housing and community development in Mulhuddart, Dublin 15.

Doing the honours was the Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Adrian Henchy, who was joined at the groundbreaking by the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD; Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien TD; Chief Executive of Fingal County Council AnnMarie Farrelly and Managing Director of GEM Construction Martin Healy. Also on hand were local Fingal Councillors; Ministers Roderic O’Gorman TD and Jack Chambers TD; Senator Emer Currie; and community stakeholders from across the area.

The Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Adrian Henchy, expressed great pride in kicking off the next phase of the project: “The Church Fields development represents our dedication to providing diverse housing solutions at a time when there is great demand. The commencement of these 300 new homes is a testament to Fingal’s hard work and its commitment to deliver sustainable, attainable, and quality housing. What’s more, it is not simply about the bricks and mortar of building homes, but about crafting a community.”

Commencement on the latest phase of the Church Fields Master Plan will deliver a diverse mix of 180 affordable purchase homes, 80 cost-rental homes, and 40 social homes. This development is part of the broader plan to introduce 1,000 new properties in total at Church Fields, and by enhancing the area with a blend of residential and public amenities.

Welcoming the commencement of next phase, the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: “The Government is committed to increasing the supply of housing. That’s why we are continuing to push forward with our large-scale building programme to provide new social, affordable and private housing right across the country, and in doing so give people tangible choices in their living and working locations.”

In addition to the residential units, the Church Fields project will include the construction of a crèche, local community facilities, retail units, and extensive public green spaces. This aligns with Fingal’s commitment to providing high-quality, affordable housing across the county with supporting infrastructure.

AnnMarie Farrelly, Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, emphasised the council's dedication to meeting housing demands: “Fingal is committed to delivering one of the most ambitious housing programmes in Ireland. We have a strong pipeline of homes now underway and for the future, which means we are utilising every avenue possible to deliver the homes that people need, particularly in high-demand areas like Dublin 15.”

Located in the thriving Dublin Enterprise Zone, Church Fields is well-positioned, benefiting from excellent transport links and proximity to a range of amenities including schools, Blanchardstown Town Centre, sporting grounds, and green corridors.

Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien said: “Today, I'm delighted to witness the commencement of construction of this phase of development. This another excellent example of the type of mixed development, delivering social and affordable housing on a large scale which is happening all the country as envisaged under Housing for All which will. Mulhuddart is a vibrant community, and these modern, affordable homes will add further to the area.

“Housing for All is having a real impact. Last year, we delivered a record 32,695 new homes. Recent impressive commencement figures indicate that supply, which is key to addressing our housing needs, continues to increase and developments like this one which will provide secure, long-term homes will make a real difference in people’s lives."

GEM Construction Limited are leading on the delivery of the homes of the Phase 3A site at Mulhuddart, with the first tranche of homes expected to be ready in 2025. These homes will incorporate the most up to date methods of sustainability from the outset, achieving a BER of A2 and Near Zero Energy Building Standard with the intention of reducing embodied carbon in keeping with the Governments 2030 Climate Action Plan.

To assist further with reducing the carbon footprint for the development in the construction phase, GEM will also utilise soil stabilisation for the site works. This process uses the existing subsoil material on site, mixes it with suitable lime and cement-based products to re-engineer the subsoil to support the foundations and sub-structures. This process significantly reduces the extent of bulk excavation removal off site and importation of granular fill material back onto site.