Public land in Athlone ‘could be used for 360 new homes’
The Bus Éireann depot and the former St Mel's Terrace site have been identified in a report by the Land Development Agency (LDA) as publicly-owned sites in Athlone which could potentially be used for the development of up to 360 new affordable homes.
The LDA recently published its second report on 'relevant public land', which was designed to pinpoint sites that are in State ownership and could possibly be developed to help ease the current pressure on Ireland's housing supply.
In the Athlone area, the report singles out the site of the former St Mel's Terrace, on Grace Park Road, and the Bus Éireann depot, next to Southern Station Road, as the two public sites which could theoretically be used for housing development.
The 1.8 hectare former St Mel's Terrace site, has the potential for between 90 and 130 homes, according to the LDA document. The same site, which is owned by Westmeath County Council, was also included in the agency's only previous report on 'relevant public land', in 2023.
It is considered a 'class one' site, which is the least constrained category for housing development - meaning that it has the potential to accommodate new housing in the near-term.
The report estimated the cost of housing construction and provision of infrastructure for the former St Mel's Terrace site at between €33.75m and €44.65m.
The Bus Éireann depot site was a new inclusion in the 2025 LDA report. The agency said the 2.6 hectare site, owned by Córas Iompair Éireann and the council, could yield between 160 and 230 town-centre homes.
"The site is in current use for bus depot and utility activity. A rezoning of the site would be required," stated the agency. It added that "adjacent relevant public land is proposed for other development and is not incorporated."
The report labelled the bus depot as a 'class two' site, meaning it is "moderately constrained" and therefore could take a longer period of time if it was to be developed for housing purposes.
The cost of development and infrastructure at the bus depot site is estimated by the LDA as being in the €49.95m to €67.9m range.
In its assessment of Athlone as a whole, the LDA said noted that the local planning and development policy "prioritises opportunities in the urban area of the town" and that "a number of zoned and serviced lands are located in the existing built-up area to facilitate projected population growth, including Curragh Lissywollen, Lissywollen South, Cornamagh, Cornamaddy and Monksland/Bellanamullia.
Nationally, the LDA report outlined public land that could theoretically yield up to 70,830 homes across the 102 parcels of public land over the medium to long term.
Of the 102 parcels of land identified, less than 20% had low levels of constraints. More than 80% of the sites listed in the report were "either moderately or significantly constrained" with many "in active operation for non-housing uses by their current owners."
The LDA noted that securing the more constrained sites for housing use would require significant public investment and would "often involve enabling infrastructure and relocating existing services or businesses."
"In some cases, the costs of unlocking the land may not make economic sense," the agency noted.