Eoghan Murphy, T.D., Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, today (30th September 2019) announced that he has appointed Mr. John Coleman as CEO of the Land Development Agency ("LDA"). Mr. Coleman's appointment was recommended following an open recruitment process.
John Coleman has been Chief Executive of the Land Development Agency on an interim basis since its inception in September 2018. He previously held senior roles, including Chief Financial Officer, at the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA), and worked extensively on the set up of its Residential Delivery Division. John is a graduate of University College Dublin (B. Comm) and a chartered accountant (FCA). Prior to joining NAMA in 2011, he worked in banking and accountancy.
Commenting on the appointment, Minister Murphy said:
I am delighted to have someone of John Coleman's experience and expertise to lead the Agency in its crucial formative years. The work of the Land Development Agency will be a game changer for the transformation of our cities and major towns. With the LDA, we have a new State body with access to the lands, the capital, the skills and the mandate to lead the development of the State’s land bank for the common good. With John as CEO, we have someone who has the necessary experience and skillset to lead the team to deliver on this important project. John has been leading the work under the LDA for some months now and I wish him every success in the months and years ahead.
John Moran, Chair of the LDA, in welcoming the appointment, said
The LDA has been progressing sites across the country for the last number of months and this appointment is another step in progressing a critically important national agency which will play a vital role in the development of state lands and housing across the country. As Chair I have been impressed with John’s leadership during his time as interim CEO and wish him well over the coming years.
John Coleman, LDA CEO said:
I am delighted and honoured that Minister Murphy, the Chairman John Moran and the Board of the LDA has entrusted me with this critically important and exciting task. I look forward to capitalising on the extensive establishment and preparatory work that we have carried out at the LDA in 2019 by advancing the delivery of much needed new homes on State land. I am grateful for the continued support of the Minister, the Chairman and Board of the LDA, and also our growing LDA team.
The focus of the LDA over the last number of months has been on the 8 sites in the initial portfolio and identifying the best route to delivering homes and supporting development on these sites in an expeditious and sustainable way. The LDA has already advanced preliminary feasibility work on all 8 sites that have the capacity to deliver approximately 3,000 new homes. Having now completed the initial feasibility work, professional teams have been appointed to advance planning applications for 3 of the sites, including Skerries, north county Dublin (around 250 homes), the former St Kevin’s Hospital in Cork city (around 200 homes) and the former Devoy Barracks in Naas, county Kildare (around 200 homes). In additional to the eight initial sites, the LDA is working in partnership with Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council to deliver approximately 600 social and affordable homes in Shanganagh, Shankill, South County Dublin.
Note for Editors:
Role of LDA
The LDA has an immediate focus on managing the State’s own lands to develop new homes, and regenerate under-utilised sites. In the longer-term, it will assemble strategic landbanks from a mix of public and private lands, making these available for housing in a controlled manner, which brings essential long-term stability to the Irish housing market. The overall objective is for the LDA to be involved in the building of 150,000 new homes over the next 20 years. The Agency is acting within a clear Government policy framework: that all public land disposals must deliver at least 40% of any housing potential on such lands in the form of social (10%) and affordable (30%) housing.
The main objectives of the LDA, include:
- developing land, including public lands, for housing or other purposes in support of the implementation of the National Planning Framework on a commercial basis;
- establishing and maintaining a land bank of relevant public lands in order to implement the National Planning Framework;
- putting in place appropriate mechanisms and collaborative structures between public and private entities to develop relevant public lands and other lands; and
- advising the Minister and the Government on matters relating to the management and use of relevant public lands.
The LDA is a commercial State body and will be a national centre of expertise, working with and supporting local authorities, public bodies and other interests, to harness public lands as catalysts to stimulate regeneration and wider investment and to achieve compact, sustainable growth, with a particular emphasis on complex regeneration projects and the provision of affordable housing.
The website of the LDA is http://www.lda.ie/