Mayor of South Dublin Country Council Pamela Kearns, Tánaiste Simon Harris and Ministers of State John Cummins and Kieran O’Donnell, joined Evara to announce the start of construction on a new 395-home development at Heron’s Lock in Lucan, County Dublin.
They jointly turned the sod on the new development by Evara, Ireland’s largest private homebuilder, on land which forms part of the Clonburris Strategic Development Zone (SDZ).
The Tánaiste, Minister Cummins and Minister O’Donnell also joined Michael Hynes, Chief Executive Officer of Evara, on a walking tour of The Crossings, a new urban village developed by Evara at the heart of Adamstown, Ireland’s fastest growing suburb, and visited a new age-friendly development being delivered by Evara for Clúid Housing in Adamstown.
Evara’s development at Heron’s Lock comprises 395 new homes, with 281 houses and 114 apartments. The houses will consist of 3 and 4-bed homes and duplex units with a mix of 2 and 3-bed homes. The apartments are being developed over two blocks ranging up to six storeys and will consist of one and two-bed homes. The homes are being built to the highest standards with a particular focus on energy efficiency, low running costs, place-making and sustainability.
Evara’s land at Heron’s Lock is located near to Adamstown SDZ, where the homebuilder is the lead developer, having already completed over 2,200 homes there, with a further 1,600 homes under construction and 1,300 homes at the planning stage. In addition, the company has delivered extensive infrastructure in the new suburb, including roads, parks, playgrounds, schools and other amenities such as The Crossings retail centre and urban village.
Evara is also in the process of completing 392 new cost rental apartments for the Land Development Agency at The Crossings in Adamstown and also recently completed 184 new cost rental and social housing units for Oaklee, the Approved Housing Body, in the same location.
The age-friendly development at Somerton comprises 68 specifically designed age-friendly social housing apartments — 49 one-bedroom units and 19 two-bedroom units. Evara is delivering the entire five-storey block, located adjacent to Lucan Shopping Centre, to Clann, the age-friendly division of Clúid Housing. The scheme has now topped out and remains on track for completion in June 2026.
Evara’s mission is to deliver high-quality homes in sustainable and vibrant communities. Following investment by TPG Real Estate in 2024, Evara is seeking to accelerate its housing delivery to reach an output target of 1,500 homes per annum and to add further capacity through land acquisitions.
Pamela Kearns, Mayor of South Dublin County Council said: “I am delighted to take part with the Tánaiste in the sod-turning of what is going to be an excellent housing development in a great place to live. There is an urgent need for increased levels of housing of all tenures and homebuilders, such as Evara, are playing a crucial role in adding to the country’s overall output alongside the work of local authorities and other State-backed bodies. South Dublin is a dynamic and fast-growing region, and the local authority is responding to the housing need by carefully planning for the future and ensuring new homes are delivered in the right areas with new services and amenities nearby.”
Tánaiste Simon Harris said: “I am delighted to join Mayor Kearns in turning the sod at this new housing development in Heron’s Lock. The Government has made it a priority to increase the country’s housing output to more than 50,000 new homes a year. Our response involves both investing in State-funded housing but also creating the conditions for homebuilders, such as Evara, to be able to maximise their delivery. The measures we have introduced include a streamlined planning system and plans for local authorities to rezone more land for housing to take account of new population growth estimates. We are also investing significantly in the infrastructure needed to service sites with a particular focus on the development of large-scale housing projects such as those being delivered in Clonburris and Adamstown. I congratulate Evara on getting this development underway and I look forward to the company’s progress as it seeks to increase both its land portfolio and its own output to 1,500 new homes a year.”
Michael Hynes, Chief Executive Officer of Evara said: “I would like to thank Mayor Kearns and the Tánaiste Simon Harris for officially marking the launch of construction at Heron’s Lock. This exciting project involves the delivery of 395 homes on land that is near to our existing and ongoing developments in Adamstown. At Evara, we already own a substantial amount of land in Dublin with the potential for more than 7,000 homes and we are actively acquiring new sites as part of our ambition to increase our annual output to more than 1,500 homes a year. Increasing the supply of well-built, energy efficient housing is a priority for us, but we are also focused on ensuring all of our developments are located in well-served areas where people can avail of the facilities and amenities, they need to lead a high quality of life.”
