Company boss sets sights on Limerick for building of new housing

A COMPANY boss has set his sights on Limerick for land on which to develop new houses.

Ciaran Fitzpatrick, chief executive of Fitzpatrick and Heavey Group, which is based in south Dublin, says his firm has the capacity to start building 10,000 homes across Ireland.

“But to achieve this, we need the right conditions in place. I believe the housing crisis can only be tackled with urgency, scale and collaboration,” he said.

The executive wants to see a “faster and more predictable” planning permission process.

Land acquisition, he added, is vital, saying: “Large, well-located landbanks would allow us to keep building without the delays and inefficiencies that come with moving from one small site to another.”

Mr Fitzpatrick says his development company – currently involved in building 500 homes across Ireland – sees a huge role for the Land Development Agency (LDA).

This is the State agency charged with delivering affordable homes on publicly owned or acquired land.

Mr Fitzpatrick said: “The LDA holds significant land and has the ability to bring forward shovel-ready sites. By partnering with private developers like ourselves, they can dramatically accelerate delivery of both social and affordable housing, while reducing the time lost to lengthy planning and procurement processes.”

The company executive said where they identify sites in Limerick, they are committed to using local staff, suppliers and sub-contractors.

“This keeps skills and jobs in the community, reduces commuting pressures, and provides tradespeople with multi-year certainty, something that makes a real difference to quality of life,” he added.

Mr Fitzpatrick has called for VAT changes for first time buyers: “Even a modest adjustment could lower sales prices, support bank financing, and make homeownership genuinely affordable. In recent projects, we’ve delivered high-quality homes priced around €230,000 and they were snapped up immediately. With the right supports, we can replicate that success across towns and counties nationwide,”

Unlike other development firms, he said workforce availability is not an obstacle.

“We already have the staff, subcontractors, and international expertise ready to go. What we need now is zoned land, planning approvals, infrastructure investment, and fair tax supports,” he concluded.

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Company boss sets sights on Limerick for building of new housing

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