Dezoned Kildare Land to Go Under the Hammer with €300k Guide Price

Under the current 2023-2029 plan the land is zoned as "Agricultural"

An 11.3-acre site on the edge of Kildare town is set to go to auction later this month, with a guide price that suggests strong ‘hope value’ — despite the land no longer being zoned for development according to the Irish Independent. 

The land at Whitesland West had previously been earmarked for Industrial and Warehousing use under the 2012–2018 Kildare Local Area Plan. However, under the current 2023–2029 plan, the zoning was changed to ‘Agricultural’, limiting its development potential for now.

Despite this, auctioneer Liam Hargaden of Jordan Auctioneers says the site still holds significant long-term promise, given its strategic location within the town boundary and proximity to established industrial units.

He has set a guide price of €300,000 for the July 17 public auction — equating to around €26,550 per acre. That figure stands well above the regional average of just over €15,000 per acre for agricultural land in the mid-east, which includes Kildare and Wicklow.

Speaking to the Irish Independent Hargaden said “There’s future development potential here due to its location. It’s adjacent to existing industrial warehousing, and there’s growing interest in industrial-type lands as pressure increases on similar zoned sites elsewhere.”

The site lies directly opposite an existing industrial complex that includes Brooks building suppliers and Wanzl Ireland Ltd. It’s located approximately 1.5km west of Kildare town centre and just 2km from the M7 motorway.

Interest in such lands may also be influenced by policy shifts in the Greater Dublin Area. In particular, Dublin’s City Edge Project is pushing to rezone industrial land for residential use, increasing demand for viable industrial alternatives in surrounding counties like Kildare.

The auction is expected to draw attention from investors, developers, and businesses eyeing long-term opportunities in one of Ireland’s fastest-growing counties.