By Chris Ashmore

The public will get to have their say from next week when plans are put on display for the biggest ever social housing development in Letterkenny.

A total of 172 new homes are being planned for the Ballymacool area – close to O’Donnell Park – and the full proposals are set to go out for public consultation on Tuesday.

The Department of Housing has already committed “a preliminary budget tag of €49.3 million” for the development.

Welcoming the news, Cathaoirleach of Letterkenny-Milford Municipal District Council, Cllr. Ciaran Brogan said that the new homes are badly needed. He is hopeful that construction work can get underway next year.

He also pointed out that “this is an opportunity to improve the infrastructure from the town going out to Ballymacool” with capital investment in the water network too.

It is understood that the proposals will also include an independent living cluster of 12 units, plus a five bed group home following discussions with the HSE.

Traffic surveys have also been completed.

Under the public consultation process, members of the public will be able to examine the plans and to make observations and submissions.

Meanwhile, plans continue to advance in relation to a number of other major social housing projects, including proposals for 142 new homes just off the High Road, beside the Fire Station.

Indeed, plans for more than 470 new homes (including Ballymacool) are now at various stages of design. The others are Nas Mor, Letterkenny (18), Oldtown, Letterkenny (16), Ard Na Glaise, Kilmacrennan (20), and Rossgarrow, Milford (12).

A contractor to build ten new units at Mulroy View, Tamney, is expected to be appointed in the coming weeks.

Elsewhere, work on constructing 30 units at Oran Hill on the Kilmacrennan Road in Letterkenny is scheduled to be complete before the summer of 2026. Work on nine units at Killylastin on the edge of the town is also advancing.

Currently, there are more than 1,300 people on the social housing waiting list in the Letterkenny/Milford Municipal District Council area.