New figures show Louth is outperforming much of the country in house building

New figures show first-time buyers in Drogheda Rural has the fastest rate of home building in the country

Published 20th Mar 2026, 13:00 BST There was an increase in the number of houses completed in Louth in the first quarter of this year compared to last year New figures show first-time buyers in Drogheda Rural has the fastest rate of home building in the country Sign up to our Louth Live newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Louth Live within your account.

New figures show Louth is performing strongly for house building compared to the rest of the country.

A new tool, developed by Irish Sustainable Homes and Rigr AI, compares the number of adults aged 18-44 who do not yet own a home with the number of new homes built in each electoral area.

The figures show how long it would take, on average, for a first-time buyer to get the keys to a newly built home in their own community.

The data reveals that Drogheda Rural has the fastest rate of home-building in Ireland. A total of 630 new homes were built last year for a population of 5,015 adults between the ages of 18 and 44 who do not own a home, resulting in an average wait time of just eight years - the shortest in Ireland.

Dundalk South also features in the top 20 areas nationwide for the shortest wait time, with an estimated average of 22.1 years. Dundalk-Carlingford and Ardee are listed at 35.8 years and 52.1 years, respectively. In 18 of the 166 electoral districts, the wait time is more than 100 years.

Figures also show that County Louth recorded the fastest growth in new home construction in 2025, with the number of new builds rising by 24%.

Cllr Seán Kelly, Cathaoirleach of Louth County Council, said the figures are very encouraging for Louth.

"It shows that our county is leading the way nationally in building new homes and reducing waiting times for first‑time buyers. I want to acknowledge the strong partnership across our communities, planners, housing bodies and developers, all of whom are helping to deliver real results for people in Louth,” he said.

Cllr Michelle Hall, Mayor of Drogheda, also welcomed the findings, saying: “I’m proud to see Drogheda Rural recognised as having the fastest rate of home building in the country - no other electoral area performs better.

“The Port Access Northern Cross Route (PANCR) has been central to this surge, unlocking major landbanks for housing after years of planning and showing what long-term investment can achieve for our growing town.”

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David Conway, Chief Executive of Louth County Council, said: “These figures show that Louth is delivering homes at a rate that leads the country. Drogheda Rural, in particular, stands out as the best-performing area in Ireland, while Dundalk South is also showing positive progress.

However, Mr Conway said there is room for improvement in Dundalk-Carlingford and Ardee but said he is "hopeful that new opportunities, especially around land activation" will bring wait times down.

“The strong growth in new homes last year reflects the hard work of many partners, and this data gives reassurance that progress is being made in Louth.”

For context, the worst area in the country is Palmerstown-Fonthill in Dublin, which will take over 1000 years at the current delivery rate.

There are currently over 5,500 waiting to buy a home, with there being just 1.4 homes per 10,000 people.

Related topics: Louth Louth County Council Housing Ardee Dundalk Drogheda Sign up to our Louth Live newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Louth Live within your account.