Government announces first call for projects for €1 Billion Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund
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Ó: An Roinn Tithíochta, Rialtais Áitúil agus Oidhreachta; An Roinn Airgeadais
- Foilsithe: 21 Eanáir 2026
- An t-eolas is déanaí: 21 Eanáir 2026
The Tánaiste Simon Harris TD and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne TD, today announced the first call for projects for the Government’s new Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund (HIIF). The Fund will allocate €1 Billion over the next five years to boost the delivery of public infrastructure projects that will unlock housing sites in towns and cities across Ireland.
The HIIF represents a major multi-annual commitment to unlocking serviced land at scale. Administered by the new Housing Activation Office within the Department of Housing, it is the largest housing infrastructure fund announced in Ireland for many years.
It will support the construction of the public infrastructure needed to activate thousands of homes across towns and cities, forming a central pillar of the Government’s new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, and the target to deliver 300,000 new homes by 2030.
Today’s first Call for projects is now open to Local Authorities and to the Land Development Agency (LDA). This Call is focusing on shovel-ready projects that can move quickly.
Launching the initiative, the Tánaiste emphasised:
“This €1 billion fund marks one of the most significant interventions in housing delivery in over a decade. Across the country, we see zoned land lying idle because the critical enabling infrastructure needed to support housing development is not in place. This new €1 Billion Euro Fund will directly tackle this problem. By investing at scale now, we can accelerate home building and deliver the homes needed to meet the ambitious targets of our new Housing Action Plan.”
Explaining today’s call out for suitable projects, Minister Browne added:
“Today, we are making our first call out for suitable projects. This Call 1 is deliberately designed to focus on projects that can move quickly and at scale. We want strong, deliverable projects that can hit the ground running and start unblocking housing delivery immediately. The Local Authorities and the LDA have told me that they have shovel-ready options at the ready, today we are asking them to apply for funding for those projects.”
The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is continuing to develop the Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund, and intend to broaden the approach in early 2026 to include a wider range of delivery approaches, and a broader range of public and private sector delivery partners.
Minister Browne added:
“While Call 1 is directly targeted at local authorities and the LDA, to get projects moving speedily, I want this fund to utilise all potential that exists. That is why I have written to industry representative groups today to seek the input of their members in relation to key opportunities to unlock barriers in towns and cities nationwide and on how the private sector can play a key role in doing this. No opportunity will go unexplored and I hope to be in a position soon to make a second call for more projects.”
Applications under Call 1 must be submitted by midday, Friday 27 February 2026. More information on the HIIF and the Housing Activation office is available here.
ENDS
Notes
The HIIF was announced as part of Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025–2030 It is a multi-annual fund under the updated National Development Plan (NDP) 2025-2035.
HIIF is designed to provide the enabling infrastructure required to unlock large-scale residential development. The Fund will complement investment by other Government Departments and infrastructure agencies, such as Uisce Éireann and ESBN, who have received funding under the updated NDP to support housing growth, as part of a more coordinated approach. This will ensure that lands identified and prioritised for housing are serviced and ready to deliver home.
Under Call 1, the Fund will focus on advanced, deliverable infrastructure projects with a housing activation timeframe of 2026–2028.
The Department will continue to develop the HIIF, and intends to broaden the approach in early 2026 to include a range of public and private sector delivery partners. The criteria of the fund are also likely to evolve over time having regard to the infrastructural needs of the country, sectoral capacities to deliver infrastructure and housing, and changes in the broader policy and legislative landscapes nationally and at an EU level. The primary aim is to build a rolling programme of investment that addresses obstacles to the delivery of housing.
The Housing Activation Office
The Programme for Government 2025 Securing Ireland’s Future, proposed the establishment of a Strategic Housing & Infrastructure Delivery Office under the Minister for Housing to help: coordinate and accelerate home building by unblocking infrastructure delays; and coordinate investment in servicing zoned land.
The Housing Activation Office (HAO) is the delivery mechanism for this commitment. The HAO includes senior experts from Uisce Éireann, ESB Networks, the National Transport Authority, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, and the local government sector. Its role is to coordinate stakeholders, identify infrastructure blockages, and unlock land for housing development—especially in larger towns and cities where homes can be delivered at scale.
The Housing Activation Office (HAO) in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (the Department) will manage and implement the Fund, with Delivering Homes, Building Communities highlighting that for the HAO to succeed, it is imperative that funding is available to unlock the delivery of key infrastructure projects.
Download Housing Activation Office Terms of Reference
Details of the Housing Activation Office were announced by the Minister on 29 April 2025.
Details of Housing Activation Office
Housing Activation Delivery and Industry Groups
Minister Browne convened a new Housing Activation Delivery Group and Industry Group on 6 November 2025. These groups will meet quarterly and will provide a forum for regular engagement with Government Departments and infrastructure agencies and industry officials to support the work of the Housing Activation Office.
Details of the Housing Activation Delivery and Industry Group inaugural meetings 6 November 2025