Planned Dublin social homes hit private market for up to €4,500 a month

The loss of 140 social homes at Daneswell Place in Glasnevin to the private rental market, with rents reaching €4,500 per month, highlights the urgent need for a state-led construction model, according to local Councillor Conor Reddy

News Stephen Holland Local Democracy Reporter 16:51, 28 Jul 2026 View Image People Before Profit Councillor Conor Reddy

The loss of 140 planned social homes to the private market, with rents up to €4,500 per month, proves the need for State-led construction according to one local councillor.

People Before Profit and Housing SPC member Councillor Conor Reddy has issued a statement following the loss of 140 planned social homes at Daneswell Place in Glasnevin. He explained that the homes were previously included in Dublin City Council’s housing delivery pipeline and due to be acquired by the Approved Housing Body Co-operative Housing Ireland.

But they could not secure the funding for the apartments and they are now being offered by the developer on the private market at €2,400 per month for a one-bedroom apartment, €2,900 for a two-bedroom and €4,500 for a three-bedroom. Cllr Reddy believes that this loss exemplifies the need for government to take the lead with a State-led construction company that tackles the housing crisis without relying on a private market that prioritises profit.

“This is devastating for people who have already spent years, and in some cases decades, waiting for social housing. I talk to these people every day. Many are on the housing list for Finglas-Cabra Area A, which includes Glasnevin. These homes were in the pipeline and were expected to come on stream soon. People will have held out hope that one of them might finally provide their family with a secure home,” Cllr Reddy stated.

With these homes now coming onto the market at costs up to €4,500 per month, Cllr Reddy said that this “is not affordable housing” and “even people on decent incomes would struggle to pay these rents”. “They are completely unsustainable for any family across a lifetime,” he said.

Cllr Reddy’s statement described profit as “the root of the housing crisis” as he blasted a system where developers “build when it suits” and “hold back when it does not”. “That is why we are seeing no building on sites with active planning permission,” he said.

“In Dublin alone, there is permission for at least 30,000 homes and none of them are being built. This is happening while people are homeless and trapped on housing lists.

“Because of the madness of the market, councils are also being forced to pay exorbitant prices to acquire homes under Part V from private developers, including recent examples on the Jamestown Business Park lands in my own area and across Dublin.”

He described the rezoning for up to 25,000 new homes in the city last June as an “incredible cynical exercise”. Despite “vast tracts of public and private land” being available for housing, Cllr Reddy stated “we have seen here again that private developers will not deliver the social and affordable homes we need”.

“Dublin City Council’s recently launched direct-build programme is a good example of what can be done. In-house architects, planners and procurement staff will develop the projects, with private builders contracted to construct the homes. This approach is more cost-effective than the failed public-private partnership system and shows the kind of public capacity we need to build.

The direct-build programme was announced by DCC last March and will see the construction of approximately 4,000 new homes on more than 30 sites across Dublin over the next four years. The programme will see DCC advance a range of council-owned housing sites, primarily through a Design & Build (D&B) delivery model with the support of the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA)

In conclusion, Cllr Reddy stated: “The only way to deliver social and affordable housing at the scale required is through public development and public capacity. That must begin with direct council delivery and progress towards a not-for-profit State construction company capable of building homes according to need, rather than according to the profit margin a developer may or may not make.”

This content is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme

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