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you can contact
Joan.Henry@ie.knightfrank.com
or
Robert.OConnor@ie.knightfrank.com
- €401m worth of development land transacted in H2 bringing total spend for 2025 to €685m, ahead of the 5-year average of €630m.
- Residential development land dominated activity in H2, accounting for 88% of total spend or €352m. Demand was driven primarily by housebuilders, PLCs and state-backed purchasers focused on strengthening their land pipelines and supporting future housing delivery.
- While demand continued to be strongest for consented, ready-to-go opportunities, activity also broadened to include high-density apartment development sites and larger sites without planning, including unzoned and strategic reserve land.
- New home completions exceeded expectations in 2025 with 36,284 units delivered, ahead of the majority of commentator’s forecasts of between 33,000-34,000 units. However, a range of forward-looking indicators question whether this momentum can be sustained.
- Policies introduced in 2025 are now broadly supportive of a stronger outlook for activity in the development land market in 2026, however implementation will be key to realising the potential of these measures.