Louth County Council begins four social housing projects of 271 new homes

^{Above: David Conway, Chief Executive of Louth County Council, Cllr Kevin Callan, Cathaoirleach of Louth County Council, Lisa Murtagh, COO of Cunningham Contracts Ltd and Ger Murphy, Director of Services Social Development, Louth County Council, at the contract signing for the An Mullach, Louth Village housing development.}

Louth County Council has signed contracts for four Accelerated Delivery Programme (ADP) social housing projects, which will see 271 new homes built across the county over the next 20 months.

Following the commencement of on-site works in December 2024, David Conway, Chief Executive of Louth County Council, and Cllr Kevin Callan, Cathaoirleach of Louth County Council, signed contracts worth approximately €90 million at County Hall in Dundalk on 7th February.

The four projects are:

• An Mullach - Mullavally, Louth Village - 58 units
• Ravel Drive - Ravel, Dunleer - 70 units
• Bakery View - Ballymakenny Road, Drogheda - 97 units
• Greenhill’s Grange - Newtown Link Road, Drogheda - 46 units

The developments will deliver high-quality homes and sustainable communities, utilising accelerated delivery routes and technologies under the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH) Accelerated Delivery Programme.

_{Below: A CGI view of An Mullach, Louth Village}

In December 2024, Louth County Council received funding approval from the DHLGH for the four projects under the Social Housing Capital Investment Programme (SHCIP). These schemes form part of the Government’s ‘Housing for All’ plan, with the projects set to deliver the most significant number of local authority direct-build social housing units in County Louth in recent years.

The successful contractors were appointed through a regional framework for Design and Build (D&B) contractors. OHMG (Ire) Ltd have commenced work on developments at Bakery View, Ballymakenny Road, and Ravel Drive, Dunleer. These projects consist of a mix of two, three, and four-bedroom two-storey homes and bungalows.

Cunningham Contracts (Ire) Ltd have commenced work at An Mullach, Louth Village, to build a mix of two, three, and four-bedroom two-storey homes, along with a community dwelling.

_{Below: The site layout at An Mullach, Louth Village}

Cunningham Contracts Ltd have also  begun construction at Greenhills Grange, Drogheda, where 45 two-bedroom bungalows will be provided for persons over 55 years and existing Louth County Council tenants seeking to right-size from larger homes. A community-dwelling will also be included in the development.

David Conway, Chief Executive of Louth County Council, stated: "Under the ‘Housing for All’ programme (HFA) 2022–2026, Louth County Council has a significant target of 1,323 social homes to be delivered via local authority direct-build projects, partnerships with Approved Housing Bodies, and Part V and Turnkey house acquisitions. We remain committed to delivering high-quality homes and anticipate delivering over 2,000 homes across the duration of the current HFA programme.

"I would like to thank Louth County Council’s design team and employers’ representative, EML Architects, for their work on three of the projects, as well as Van Dijk Architects for their work on the Greenhills Grange project. I also congratulate the successful contractors, OHMG Ltd and Cunningham Contracts Ltd, and look forward to the delivery of these 271 homes."

Cllr Kevin Callan, Cathaoirleach of Louth County Council, added: "I’m delighted that contracts have been signed for 271 new homes in County Louth. These social homes are essential, and it is fantastic to see the projects distributed across Louth Village, Dunleer, and Drogheda, making use of existing landbanks owned by the Council.

"This is a significant milestone in meeting Louth County Council’s social housing targets and reducing the number of Louth families on the housing list. Building public and private housing is very challenging, but Louth County Council is exceeding its DHLGH targets with its comprehensive capital housing programme. I wish both contractors, OHMG Ltd and Cunningham Contracts Ltd, the very best and look forward to the official opening of these homes in 2026."

James Browne TD, Minister for Housing, Local Government & Heritage, said: “Local authorities are key delivery partners in achieving the Housing for All commitment to provide an average of 10,000 new social homes per annum from 2022 to 2030. Through local authorities like Louth County Council, we are already delivering more social housing than in a generation and this announcement underscores our commitment to further growing the pipeline of social homes.

"Thanks to these new developments, 271 families in Louth will enjoy secure, long-term and high-quality new homes as well as the opportunity to set down roots and integrate into their local communities.”

In addition to the four ADP schemes, Louth County Council is currently constructing two social housing projects at Boice Court, Drogheda (72 units), and Fulacht Fia, Mount Avenue, Dundalk (93 units), bringing the total number of social homes under construction by Louth County Council to 447 units in 2025.