Council unveils Capital Programme worth €1.57 billion

Fingal County Council unveiled a three-year Capital Programme worth €1.57 billion at the October monthly meeting of the Council.

The three-year plan, which runs from 2025 to 2027, is a 16% increase on the previous Capital Programme which was adopted last year. The Capital Programme for 2024 provided for estimated expenditure of €386.2m and identified 312 projects. The projected Outturn expenditure for 2024 is €431.4m which represents significant progress and investment in the County.

A total of 331 projects are covered under the new Capital Programme of which 111, representing a spend of €574m, are already on site. The remainder are in the concept to project approval cycle. This time last year there were 67 projects worth €215m on site, and in October 2022 there were 37 Capital Programme projects worth €117m on site.

Projects on site include major projects such as the €114m mixed tenure development at Ballymastone and the €156m mixed tenure development at Church Fields in Mulhuddart where the first sod was turned last February and the first phases of houses are now ready with 57 of the affordable homes sold to date.

Construction work on the €70m Swords Cultural Centre got underway in August while the €26m Ongar to Barnhill Road is due to be completed in Q2 2025. The €14m pedestrian and cycle route on the Harry Reynolds Road in Balbriggan is 80% completed while the first phase of the €23.5m redevelopment of Quay Street and surrounding areas in Balbriggan is well underway. The €43m Broadmeadow Greenway is also on site with the platform for the bridge across the Broadmeadow Estuary installed this summer.

The Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Brian McDonagh, said: “This is the first Capital Programme that the newly elected Council has approved and it is heartening that we continue to see the number and value of projects grow along with a strong pipeline of delivery in key areas such as housing, infrastructure and community facilities.”

Grants make up 75% of the funding for the Capital Programme with a further €160m coming from development levies and €67m being provided from Fingal’s revenue budget. An additional €82m will be generated through loans and other sources. Another €72m worth of projects in the three-year plan are under assessment for possible funding sources.

For the first time ever, the Council is budgeting a three year spend of over €1billion on housing projects and this is an increase of 17% from the last Capital Programme. Housing accounts for 64% of the Capital Programme of which €362m is scheduled to be spent in 2025.

There is a 36% increase in the spend on Planning and Strategic Infrastructure projects with €241m budgeted for the likes of the Ward River Park, Baldoyle Racecourse Park, the Royal Canal Greenway, Brackenstown Bridge, Coastal Defence Works, Recreational Hubs in Donabate, Lusk and Rush, and road improvements on the R132.

The reinstatement and enhancement of regional roads across the county forms part of a €42m Operations capital works programme that also includes infrastructural works to bridges and harbours, regional parks and open spaces, and the public convenience refurbishment programme. A further €25m has been set aside for community facilities which includes the completion of the new Community Centre in Baldoyle.

The Environment, Climate Action and Active Travel Department will have a budget of €82m for projects such as the provision of protected cycle lanes and safe routes to schools, Electric Vehicle Charging infrastructure, climate mitigation measures and landfill projects.

The programme for the Economic Enterprise Tourism and Cultural Development Department totals €139m, which is up 14%, and includes €37m for industrial development, €10.6m for heritage properties and €5.5m for the refurbishment of libraries including the conversion of Ballisk House into the new home for Donabate Library.

The Programme projects a capital spend in 2025 of €573m, followed by €536m in 2026 and a further €460m in 2026.

Fingal County Council Chief Executive AnnMarie Farrelly said: “This is the biggest Capital Programme ever agreed by the Council in terms of budget and projects and it is particularly pleasing to see that one-third of the 331 projects are already on site which shows our on-going commitment to delivery.  We are continually carrying out audits to assess demand and the potential cost of other projects as we continue to provide the infrastructure needed for a rapidly growing county like Fingal.

The presentation of the 2025-2027 Capital Programme to councillors can be viewed here.

A copy of the 2025-2027 Capital Programme is available here.

The Capital Programme is a rolling plan which is revised annually as time and other constraints may vary the progress of projects within a given period. The decision of councillors to agree the Capital Programme 2025-2027 does not confer approval on any individual project. This can only be done through the normal statutory processes and compliance with the Public Spending Code. Funding arrangements also need to be clearly identified and secured in advance of committing to any project.