Oaklee, an award-winning Approved Housing Body, and Evara, Ireland’s largest private homebuilder, marked the official launch of 184 new cost rental and social homes at The Sidings in Adamstown, Co Dublin, at an event held on Friday May 2nd.
The homes were delivered by Oaklee in partnership with Evara and with the support of South Dublin County Council. The project also benefitted from flexible funding models including the Department of Housing’s Cost Rental Equity Loan (CREL) scheme, Capital Acquisition Lease Funding (CALF) and finance from the Housing Finance Agency (HFA).
The official launch was attended by the Oaklee leadership team, Evara executives and senior management, the Housing Agency, project stakeholders and residents. The collective celebration epitomised Oaklee’s corporate values of agility, empathy, and ambition.
Oaklee already manages over 2,400 homes across 19 counties, but this new apartment development marks its first launch of cost rental homes, a tenure the organisation expects to deliver more of in future.
All of the apartments in The Sidings are A-rated, high-quality and spacious with fully fitted kitchens and built-in wardrobes. There are a total of 154 cost rental homes including a mixture of one, two and three-bed apartments. The remaining 30 homes are being made available as social housing.
The development was designed by Henry J Lyons and delivered by Evara to complement the first phase of development at The Crossings, a new urban village at the heart of Adamstown. The Sidings is a nine storey “landmark” building and a visual marker for this new neighbourhood. The architectural design includes feature balconies, brickwork and active frontages to the Ground Floor level which positively attributes to the street environments and residents of The Crossings.
The village centre includes a large shopping centre with Tesco and Aldi supermarkets, other individual retail outlets including McCabes, Grafton Barbers, Urban Vets, Belfry & Co and ABC Gym. The development also includes a public plaza and a three-acre public park while there are a number of creches and schools nearby. The Crossings is also located next to a purpose-built train station on the main west Dublin commuter and intercity train lines with excellent access to the N4 and the M50.
During the launch, Oaklee also announced an agreement to acquire 47 additional homes from Evara at Castlehouse in Cherrywood. Cherrywood is undergoing significant development as Ireland’s largest Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) and emphasises Oaklee’s strategic goal to deliver more homes through strong partnerships, focusing on areas with high demand and potential for community engagement. The new Cherrywood apartments will be made available as social homes.
Sharon Cosgrove, CEO of Oaklee said:“The official opening of The Sidings and the additional acquisition of 47 homes in Castlehouse exemplifies a successful collaboration between Oaklee and Evara aimed at addressing the ongoing need for housing in Ireland. By combining resources and expertise, we are delivering communities that not only meet the immediate demand for housing but also contribute to the creation of sustainable, vibrant and well-connected communities.”
Commenting on the development, James Browne, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage said:“Congratulations to Oaklee and all the partners involved in bringing this project to fruition. Each new home at the Sidings provides a safe and secure place for people and a community to be part of. It’s especially significant that this development contains Oaklee’s first cost-rental homes. Approved Housing Bodies (AHB) like Oaklee, are a key delivery partner for this popular and affordable form of housing. So far, AHBs have delivered over 2,000 cost-rental homes across thirteen Local Authority Areas, with a further 2,500 homes approved for delivery by the end of 2027. Supply is a key housing challenge, and I am fully committed to accelerating housing delivery to meet the needs of more individuals, families and communities.”
Michael Hynes, CEO of Evara said: “We are delighted to partner with Oaklee to officially launch the new cost-rental and social homes at The Sidings in Adamstown. These new A-rated apartments were built by Evara and acquired by Oaklee. They are now being made available to eligible tenants, providing them with an affordable and secure home in an excellent and well-served area. At Evara, we seek to deliver new communities in addition to new homes and this is a vision we share with Oaklee. The Crossings is a great place to live and features major transport links, community facilities, retail outlets, creches and new schools. We are continuing to add to the neighbourhood, and we are in the process of delivering new apartment developments with mixed tenures that will help to ensure an even more vibrant and diverse new community.”
