A 62-acre site, between the Rathbeale Rd and Swords Manor, has been sold to Fingal Council, according to reports.
The site, which was described as having the potential for 1,000 homes, went on sale earlier this year and has been earmarked for development for over a decade.
This area is an important link between existing estates, and the new Mooretown area currently being built around Swords Community College.
A Local Area Plan was published for this land over a decade ago and it included a new road linking to the Rathbeale Rd, substantial residential areas, two public parks and new cycling and walking links connecting to the rest of Swords.
It has been reported that Fingal County Council have paid in the region of €40m for the land and it is expected that they will seek to progress a mixed-tenure development on the site similar to what is being developed at Ballymastone in Donabate.
Cllr Ian Carey said:
“I’m very glad to see that this site has been purchased by Fingal County Council. Ultimately, it means the area is more likely to be developed in line with the Local Area Plan which has community buy-in. It also makes it more likely that the site will be developed quickly and used to deliver badly needed homes. These lands have been prepared for development for many years, yet they have sat in the hands of developers with not one home delivered.
“I’m also hopeful that they follow a similar mixed-tenure partnership model that the council are using to deliver 1,200 homes in Donabate. That development is coming online with excellent sporting and community facilities available; the homes are all A-rated, and the area has a strong design to encourage active travel in the town. This is the kind of joined up thinking we need in Swords to help deliver for new residents and plug the gaps in sporting and community infrastructure that exist already.”
