Leopardstown Road

Residential

Land Development Agency

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Civil, Structutal, Transport and Geotechnical

Leopardstown Road, Leopardstown, Dublin 18

A new 80-unit residential project has been approved in Leopardstown, South Dublin, as part of a €528 million investment across 16 housing schemes in the area. Located between the M50 and Leopardstown Road, opposite Leopardstown Rise estate, the development will offer a mix of duplexes and apartments, designated for social and affordable housing.

This initiative is a response to growing housing demand—highlighted by 640 applications for just 30 homes in a recent Shankill project.

Meanwhile, the Land Development Agency (LDA) is also moving forward with plans to build 1,000 affordable homes on a 23-hectare site at Leopardstown Racecourse, following negotiations with Horse Racing Ireland (HRI). This is a scaled-back version of an earlier proposal for 2,000+ units, preserving about 40% of the land for HRI’s own development.

These projects form part of a broader strategy by authorities to combat the housing crisis in South Dublin through large-scale, coordinated planning and investment.

The site’s location between the M50 motorway and Leopardstown Road presented significant logistical and spatial constraints. Managing construction activities within such a confined setting required careful phasing of works, close coordination with statutory authorities, and mitigation of risks relating to noise, vibration, and limited access—particularly adjacent to live infrastructure and existing residential estates.

Delivering structurally sound yet economically viable solutions will be essential to meeting the project’s social and affordable housing objectives. With a planned mix of apartments and duplex units, the structural design will need to accommodate varied layouts while optimising material use, reducing complexity, and ensuring compliance with Irish building regulations and local authority standards.

Given the urban context and limited drainage gradients, the project will require a carefully engineered surface water management solution. A Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) will be designed to incorporate attenuation storage, permeable paving, and infiltration features, ensuring regulatory compliance with Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council and Irish Water, while supporting the scheme’s green infrastructure and public realm.

Establishing safe vehicular access from the heavily trafficked Leopardstown Road, while prioritising active and sustainable travel, will present a complex challenge. The transport strategy will need to include traffic impact assessments, Road Safety Audits, and enhanced pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure—seamlessly integrated into the wider South Dublin mobility network and aligned with national sustainable transport policies.

Subsurface investigations are expected to reveal variable ground conditions, particularly along the western edge of the site, adjacent to sloping terrain and sensitive infrastructure. The geotechnical strategy will require tailored foundation solutions to mitigate settlement risks and slope stability concerns, with careful attention to groundwater management and temporary works during excavation phases.