Longford Development Scheme can be a ‘gamechanger’
Longford County Council has what was recently detailed as plans for a new distributor road in Longford Town to activate zoned lands capable of delivering approximately 1,000 homes’.
There was an abundance of positivity from councillors and management about the anticipated housing and enterprise benefits as the Supplementary Development Contribution Scheme was adopted at last week's monthly local authority meeting.
The scheme will impose a charge per hectare on planning applicants with an objective to allow for as much mixed development as possible.
Longford County Council has what was recently detailed as plans for a new distributor road in Longford Town to activate zoned lands capable of delivering approximately 1,000 homes’.
Director of Services Barbara Heslin said the item was probably one of the ‘most important documents’ they had brought before elected members from two SPCs.
Ms Heslin said the Social Development SPC and the Physical Development SPC had been developed and brought forward the supplementary development contribution scheme for their consideration and if approved it would then go forward out for public consultation.
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The Council established a cross-directorate project team in July 2025 specifically focused on strategic infrastructure for housing activation, focused on identifying, sequencing, and progressing enabling works required to unlock significant housing capacity in Longford, with an initial focus on Longford Town.
Ms Heslin said the elected members last May agreed to amend the development contribution scheme to allow them to put in place a supplementary development contribution scheme.
"Since 2025 considerable work has been done developing this scheme through a cross directorate operation with people from roads, planning, housing, active travel and regeneration.
Ms Heslin said the previously adopted Longford Town Local Area Plan recognised the need for a distributor road in the northern environs of Longford town, however, the biggest challenge was how to deliver that.
The Director of Services said Longford County Council would now be allowed to go to public consultation and importantly have a mechanism to raise matched funding so they could then chase Government and national funding opportunities.
Ms Heslin thanked Cllr Turlough McGovern, the chair of the Physical Development SPC, Cllr Paul Ross the outgoing chair of the Social Development SPC and incoming chair Cllr Padraig McNamara for their support.
She said it also means they can start the engagement process with the public, with communities, with businesses, with landowners in the area.
"If we get your permission here to go to the public consultation process the Roads Department will start the conversations with the landowners in the area that is impacted."
Cllr Seamus Butler stated ‘one of the biggest single developments on its own’ would open up a whole area of lands that are completely serviced inside the N4 and N5 boundaries and much more affordable and private housing for people and for light industry
"It's certainly one of the biggest single developments on its own, it's bigger than Teffia Park was in 1959-to-60 and McKeon Park and all the rest of it.
"The actual areas involved per hectare and parts thereof are setting the charges and I'm very pleased to see that in one area there is a special allowance for an investor that would come in and build a hotel with 50 bedrooms or more and that is included in this as well."
Cllr Paul Ross formally proposed the adoption of the Development Contribution Scheme.
"It’s really exciting, it’s going to unlock the future of Longford and it is the future of county Longford and this development contribution will ensure it happens.”
Cllr Niall Gannon, Pádraig McNamara praised the ‘fantastic’ development, while Cllr Garry Murtagh called it a ‘gamechanger’.