Grants totalling £5 million are to be allocated to local authorities for works on non-national roads designed to facilitate housing development.
The Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Mr Dempsey, said the grants were part of the Government's response to the house price study undertaken by Peter Bacon and Associates.
Mr Dempsey said 14 km of road would be constructed or improved, releasing nearly 1,200 acres for housing development, with a potential for 9,000 houses.