Donegal County Council members have given the green light to a major social housing project in Letterkenny.
The development at Ballymacool is the first of two flagship housing projects to be built in Letterkenny, and the largest of its kind to be undertaken by the local authority.
Elected councillors yesterday gave Part 8 approval for the Ballymacool works to proceed.
The development has an approved preliminary budget of €49.3 million and will be built in three phases.
The initial phase has a target of 100 units completed by the end of 2026.
The overall project comprises a mix of apartments, maisonettes, and houses. The plans include 18 one-bedroom apartments, 38 two-bedroom apartments, and 18 three-bedroom maisonettes. The houses will be a mix of 13 two-bedroom houses, 57 three-bedroom houses, 13 four-bedroom houses, and 4 five-bedroom houses.
The development will feature specific units for supported living, comprising 10 two-bedroom independent living houses and 1 five-bedroom group home.
The development was welcomed by Councillor Donal ‘Mandy’ Kelly as an important step in addressing the social housing waiting list of 1,300 in the Letterkenny-Milford MD.
“Although this won’t solve everything, it is a massive step in the right direction,” Cllr Kelly told Monday’s plenary council meeting in Lifford.
Councillor Gerry McMonagle welcomed confirmation from Uisce Eireann that water and wastewater connections for this proposal are feasible, subject to upgrade.
Councillor Tomás Seán Devine raised concerns over the lack of social homes that are accessible and adapted for tenants with disabilities.
There are 31 applicants on Donegal County Council’s housing list who are recorded as being in need of specially adapted accommodation.
The council’s in-house design schemes and turnkey projects are all designed to meet a minimum 30% Universal Design Standard and can be adapted when required to suit specific resident requirements.
“While I welcome all the houses and the independent living building, I believe that adaptions should be built while the houses are getting built. It will save money and we’ll have housing ready for people with disabilites to move into,” Cllr Devine said.
However, Councillor Denis McGee, who lives in a neighbouring estate in Ballymacool, said he was not against housing developments, but feared that another 170 houses would cause a traffic mess in the area.
The Part 8 document, as seen by Donegal Daily, shows plans to balance traffic volumes by placing the estate entrance on the L-59443 road located along the northern edge of the site. This allows vehicles to leave and enter the proposed development in a slower speed residential environment.
A second major social housing development has been planned for Letterkenny on the High Road, on a site behind the fire station. This site has the potential to deliver another 175 units.
County Councillors also gave Part 8 approval to the demolition of a shed and the construction of 18 new apartments (2 one-bed and 16 two-bed units) on a 0.58 hectare greenfield site owned by Donegal County Council at New Row, Killybegs.
Council gives green light for construction of 172 social homes in Letterkenny was last modified: September 30th, 2025 by Rachel McLaughlin
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