Wicklow County Council welcomes the announcement made earlier today from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage of funding allocated to infrastructure projects supported in the first phase of the Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund (HIIF) programme.

These projects are the first to be funded as part of a major multi-annual fund committed to unlocking land and enabling the delivery of housing at scale. These infrastructure projects will unlock housing in towns and cities across the country.

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage James Browne T.D. announced that three projects across within County Wicklow will receive support through this first phase:

• Rathnew Inner Relief Road, between €10m and €20m. Directly unlocks lands for 418 residential units and indirectly supports a further 186 residential units.
• Fassaroe - Pedestrian & Cycle Bridge across N11/M11, Bray, < €10m. Bray MD and Environs LAP identifies capacity for 4,000 residential units in this area. The project also indirectly supports a further 3,000 residential units.
• Fassaroe - Road Infrastructure N11 to Enniskerry, Bray > €20m. The Fassaroe LAP identifies capacity for 4,000 residential units in this area. The project also indirectly supports a further 3,000 residential units

Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council, Cllr. Dr. Caroline Winstanley stated, “This investment under the HIIF programme is welcome news for County Wicklow, supporting key infrastructure projects which will help unlock housing across the county. It will be vital in progressing the delivery of housing and we thank the Department for this invaluable funding.”

Chief Executive of Wicklow County Council, Emer O’ Gorman commented that, “Wicklow County Council would like to extend our thanks to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage following the announcement of funding in this first phase of the HIIF programme for the three projects in Wicklow. This substantial investment will go a long way to deliver our goal of providing further housing across the county”.

Administered by the new Housing Activation Office within the Department of Housing, the €1 bn Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund is the largest housing infrastructure fund announced in Ireland for many years.

The Housing Activation Office, will coordinate the multi-agency investment required at all levels, working directly with critical utilities and transport agencies, including Uisce Éireann and ESB Networks, to ensure that complementary investment is provided and that lands are fully serviced and ready to deliver housing.